The Wind and the Fire
by FireSoul20
Summary: Sonic reunites with Blaze after so long, but they'll soon find themselves fighting to survive. Can Sonic and Blaze's love for each other keep them alive? Sonaze
1. Guide You to Me

_**The Wind and the Fire**_

**Chapter 1: Guide You to Me**

At first, there was only darkness and silence, creating an empty void of nothingness. Out of this void came a flash of light, which then spread over the darkness and started creating the scenery. The world filled with life and sound, bringing the once dark world into a place of serenity.

Lying in the middle of a large, misty meadow was a blue hedgehog. He laid unconscious for a few moments, but suddenly woke when he could hear the river. With a startled look, the hedgehog looked around and wondered where he was.

"This place is so strange. Never seen anything like it" he said.

The hedgehog looked at his surroundings and looked towards the towering mountains in the distance. Their peaks were covered with snow, which burrowed down the slopes of the mountain to the base whenever the wind blew against it. The trees surrounding the mountain got blasted with the wind and snow, causing the leaves to fly off the branches and into the wind. The river next to the hedgehog was as calm and alive as the rest of the world around him. The water was filled with multiple shapes and sizes of fish, with the bright sun shimmering against the water, making it shine like gemstones.

"This place… is so beautiful. Why have I not seen it before?" The hedgehog continued to ponder on his location.

"Well, I know it's not around the city. Maybe it's just some paradise of some kind"

As he thought to himself, he suddenly felt a whisper in his ear. The hedgehog looked around him, but saw no one.

"Uhh, hello? Someone there?" he asked.

The whisper then turned into a laugh. It sounded feminine, for he could hear the calmness and a soothing feeling in the voice. He strangely welcomed the voice into his ears, as if he were hearing the sounds of the world.

"Please, if you could show yourself, it would make it easier to speak with you"

The voice then started to speak in the same soothing voice.

"I know you mean well, Sonic. But I wish to surprise you, just for a bit. Tell me, who do you think this beautiful voice belongs to?"

"How am I supposed to know?" he asked.

"Your heart Sonic. Look into your heart, steadfast as it is, and think who is speaking to you now. Just think"

"My heart?" Sonic placed a hand over his heart and closed his eyes. All he could see was darkness, but a mental wheel spun in his thoughts, going past many names and faces, but the wheel stopped at one name and face.

_Blaze. Blaze the Cat, the one that I love._

Sonic opened his eyes and looked around. He waited for a response from the voice, but none came. But he looked into the mist and saw a dark figure walked toward him. The figure filled with light to reveal a purple cat.

"You are… correct Sonic" she said. Blaze embraced him and Sonic stood motionless as he felt her warmth surround him.

"It has been too long, Sonic. Far too long"

Sonic removed her arms, however, and looked at her in disbelief.

"I don't understand though Blaze. How are you… here?" he asked.

She simply smiled and said, "Because you want me to be"

Blaze sat down by the river, with Sonic sitting next to her.

"What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked.

"Do you remember what I once said to you? That I will be the one to fill your dreams when you sleep?"

"Y-yeah, I do remember that, but I didn't know this was a dream."

"It is indeed Sonic. Well, if you want it to be that is" Blaze said.

"I have a choice?"

"Indeed. You could be awake right now if you wanted to, but instead you chose to dream of your paradise, of me. You see, in dreams we create our own world, the ability to fulfill our wishes and desires. If you wish to believe I am here sitting beside you, you have the ability to do so"

"I suppose you're right Blaze. It is a dream, but unfortunately, that's all it'll ever be" Sonic lowered his head in sadness.

Blaze looked at him in shock, not knowing why he was thinking this.

"Sonic, you know that's not true. Just because we cannot speak in reality right now, does not mean we will never meet again. Believe me when I say that not a day goes by where I do not miss you either. Whenever I feel the wind, I think of you, but I am still free to wish and to dream of our meeting."

"Maybe, but I just want to be with you again Blaze. I've tried so hard to find a way to see you again but..."

Blaze placed a finger over Sonic's mouth and shushed him, making him blush a bit. She smiled and held Sonic's hand, then placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"I know you will find a way, and when you do, just know that I will be waiting for you. When we do meet again, and I promise we will, we will speak as long as we want."

Sonic nodded his head in agreement and embraced Blaze, loving the feeling of her warmth.

"Thanks, Blaze."

Sonic and Blaze sat holding hands in silence for a moment, until Blaze stood up.

"Well, I believe it is time for me to go, Sonic."

"Is it? But we still have so much to talk about"

"I know Sonic, and we will talk. Until then, always remember that the one you love is waiting for you" Blaze kissed Sonic on his lips and started to walk into the mist.

Sonic stood up and went after her, saying her name and asking her to come back, but he searched the mist and found nothing. A moment later, he too was fading into darkness.

* * *

Sonic awoke from his dream with a startled look, but realized he was now back to reality and still out of Blaze's reach. He simply placed his hand over his heart and said, "Always"

He quickly got from the bed and ran outside to see the bright sun shining on him. As he ran, he thought of Blaze and the mysterious dream he just had.

"I know it was just a dream and all, but I can't help but feel like she was trying to tell me something."

Sonic made it to Tails' workshop and decided to ask him about the dream. Sonic told Tails about the details of the dream, and Blaze's involvement on the matter. Tails thought for a moment and then answered Sonic.

"I'm not sure Sonic. What you told me sounds strange."

"I know it does Tails. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important"

"You're right. But I'm not sure if I can help Sonic. You said you don't know why you had it?"

"Yeah, I just wonder what she meant. Was it a message to me? I don't know. Maybe it's just a matter of her wanting to see me again, but I can't blame her"

"I remember Blaze, I know you like her Sonic"

"It's… more than that I think. But I just feel like everything is trying to… keep me away from her"

Sonic slammed a fist into the table, and yelled in frustration.

"Goddammit, I just want to see her again. That's all I've ever asked, but do I get it? No! Just one last time is all I ask, one time to see her"

Sonic ran his hands over his face to calm himself down.

"I-I'm sorry Sonic. If I knew how you felt about her, I would have made something sooner"

Sonic sighed, "If you can come up with something, go right ahead. I think I'll head home."

"Alright, but don't worry Sonic, I'll find a way for you to see Blaze again"

Sonic smiled weakly and waved to his friend as he left.

* * *

As Sonic returned to his house, he felt his heart sink a bit, knowing that seeing Blaze again was next to impossible. He tried to forget about it by going on a quick run to calm his nerves, but even after enjoying the run, he still thought of Blaze.

"She always on my mind, but that's a good thing. I want to think of her"

Sonic reached his house and decided to check his mailbox for any mail, but it was strangely empty for someone like him. Before Sonic turned to leave, he felt his foot strike a box on the ground and picked it up, but it had no address or any other information to tell where it came from, just the box. Sonic brought it back inside and sat it on the table, wondering what would be inside it. He opened the box and took out a red ring, which shined brightly in the light.

"What is this?" he asked.

He looked at the box and saw a piece of paper inside it, which had writing on it.

_Sonic,_

_I know that you must miss me and I feel the same way. But I have sent you a package which holds something very special to me. If you get this, you will soon know that this gift will guide you._

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Blaze_

"B-Blaze?"

Sonic looked at the red ring and realized that it was Blaze's hair ring. The thought of Blaze with her hair down made Sonic smile.

"Why would she send me this? The note says that it would "guide me". Guide me where?"

The ring glowed brightly and suddenly started to wobble. A flash of red light appeared and Sonic noticed that his body was starting to disappear. Once his whole form was turned into red light, Sonic fully disappeared in another flash of light.

**A/N: My first of the year, so late in the year unfortunately, but it is still good to get one out before the year's up. I plan to do many stories, and at least attempt to please the many people of Fanfiction. So I hope you enjoy the story and give some support to it. I would really appreciate it.**

**Thank you.**

**Sonic has a strange dream about Blaze, and wonders why he had it. As his envy to see Blaze again grows, he receives a package from her, which promises to "guide him". What will happen to Sonic next? Find out next time.**

**P.S. From this story and onward, I will be doing a sort of quiz thing at the end of each chapter. It can be about anything that has to do with the story I am writing. You can answer via review or PMs, but I hope it adds some fun to it.**

**Quiz Question 1: What game did Blaze start from?**


	2. A Night to Remember

**Chapter 2: A Night to Remember**

Sonic yelled as he realized that he was falling from the sky, while also noticing that the clouds were whizzing past him and the ground below came closer. Knowing that he was about to crash land, Sonic tried to regain his balance and land on his feet, but was falling too fast to recover. He could see a large stone structure in his path, but he could not redirect his landing. He sighed and covered his eyes, waiting for impact. A large boom sounded when he hit the stone, which then caused him to slide a bit. He stopped himself in time to keep himself from going over the edge. Stones laid around Sonic in a pile of rubble, but he quickly sat up and rubbed his head in pain.

"Oh, my head. What just happened?"

The ring in Sonic's hand stopped glowing and moving, lying motionless.

"I must have done something when I touched it. So, the ring guided me. Was it worth it though?"

Sonic looked off into the distance and saw many strange features of the land: black-sanded beaches to the west, a seemingly endless forest to the east and he then looked below him and noticed he was standing on top of a grand castle. All of these features puzzled Sonic, wondering why they were so important to him, but his thoughts then turned to the castle.

"Is this- Am I-"

A bright light shined in Sonic's eye, which caught his attention. He could see the light peering through the trees, but couldn't see anything from where he was standing.

"Hmm, probably should go check it out"

Sonic looked back at the crater he made and sighed, "I'm sure they can fix that damage"

He quickly ran down the side of the castle and landed back on the ground, running quickly towards the light.

* * *

The light grew brighter as Sonic sped through the trees. He finally made it to a clearing and noticed a large altar in the middle of it. Circling around the altar were seven gems with various colors, but Sonic knew what these gems were.

"The Sol Emeralds. So I have made to her world, but where is-"

"Excuse me, why are you trespassing in this area?" said the voice of Blaze the Cat.

Sonic's heart leaped with joy at the sound of Blaze's voice. He noticed that her hair was down. He then looked at the ring in his hand and smiled.

_Guide me it did._

"Do you have any idea what these gems are?" she asked

"I believe I do know Blaze."

"You… know my name?"

"Of course I do. Who else would know better than me?" Sonic turned to face Blaze, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"S-Sonic?! Is it really you?"

Blaze turned away, however, and nodded her head.

"No, no, it must be a dream. It must be" Sonic put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"No Blaze, it is not a dream. No more dreaming for us. This is real"

Sonic embraced Blaze and she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Y-you are here. You truly are. Oh, it has been so long. So long. I never thought I'd see you again" Blaze tightened her grip around him, as if letting him go would cause him to vanish.

"I know you have, Blaze. I have missed you so much and finally I see you again."

Blaze placed her hands around Sonic's face and smiled, with tears running down her face.

"You have no idea how long I have waited Sonic, how long I have wished and wondered. Months, months you were gone and I almost gave up hope that you would ever come back. But you came, you are here"

Blaze hugged him again. Sonic rubbed her back in comfort and held her tightly.

"I had to suffer too Blaze. Being away from you just feels like a part of me is missing." Sonic smiled happily.

"Sonic, don't you ever leave me again. Do you hear me? I never want to be without you again"

"Blaze, I promise you that it will never happen again. I will be by your side always, for the rest of my life I will. You mean so much to me Blaze"

Blaze brought her face close to Sonic's, to the point where their noses were touching, which caused Sonic to blush. They both smiled as they saw each other's eyes, wondering how they could be without them.

"Kiss me Sonic" Blaze whispered.

Sonic did as she asked and kissed her on the lips as passionate as their hearts would let them. They kissed over and over, letting their hearts speak for their actions. But after an eternity of love between the two, they let each other's lips go and they sat together as they looked at the emeralds.

* * *

"How in the world did you get here Sonic? I thought it would be impossible for you to return"

"Well, your gift guided me" Sonic held out her hair ring.

"Oh, you did get it then. I was wondering if you ever would. I'm glad that it worked"

"How did you get it to me though?" Sonic asked.

"I used the Sol Emeralds. I knew that I could not send myself directly to your world, with the emeralds' limited power. But I realized that smaller objects could be sent, such as my hair ring. So I charmed it with the emeralds, making it work in the same way as the Chaos Emeralds use Chaos Control. I then sent the box through a portal and it landed in your world, and all I had to do then was wait. Weeks I waited, then months. But finally, finally you are here.

"It really did guide me then. To you Blaze." Sonic handed her the ring and she placed it in her jacket. He noticed her hair and smiled at her beauty.

"You know, you look beautiful with your hair down. It makes you look nice"

Blaze giggled and said, "Why thank you. I figured you would like it this way"

Sonic ran his fingers through her hair and loved how soft and smooth it was. Blaze blushed as he did this.

"Why wouldn't I Blaze? Your beauty is unmatched. Everything about you is beautiful"

Blaze kissed him as a response.

"Flatterer" she said.

"I try"

* * *

Sonic and Blaze sat in silence, still holding hands, but Blaze saw the sun going down over the horizon and realized the time.

"My, I did not think we were here that long. We really should return to the castle"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Could really use some rest, y'know"

"Indeed, let us go"

Sonic and Blaze walked and talked as they returned to the castle, with a giggle and smirk here and there.

"You don't mind if we pick up the pace do you Blaze?"

"What are you-"

Sonic picked Blaze up bridal style and ran with her in his arms. His blistering speed made her fur stand up a bit. With Sonic's speed they returned to the castle in seconds, with Blaze impressed by his speed.

"Do you ever slow down Sonic?" she asked.

"Not ever Blaze. It's just who I am"

As they approached the castle gates, Sonic remembered his crash landing earlier and laughed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry for the damages"

"Damages?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah, when I first got here I had to make an emergency landing on the roof of your castle."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm just glad you didn't harm yourself, for I would be the one caring for you"

Sonic laughed and said, "Would that be so bad though?"

The two entered the castle and Sonic let Blaze out of his arms. Blaze suggested they get some food and entered the dining hall, with Blaze getting a whole cooked fish and Sonic with a piece of steak.

"Hmm, really wish you all had chili dogs" Sonic said.

"Steak is good Sonic. But I prefer to eat fish, for it is good and healthy"

"Yeah, for a cat" he mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" she asked

"Uhh nothing."

Blaze smiled. They ate through their meals quickly and finally decided to head upstairs to Blaze's bedroom.

"Wait here while I get some more comfortable clothes on" Blaze walked out of the room and Sonic examined the room. He saw paintings of different members of the royal family, with one of Blaze and two other cats which he assumed was her parents. The windows were decorated with purple curtains and the bed has a purple color to it as well.

"She really likes purple" Sonic said.

There was a nightstand which had a pitcher of water and a picture of him and Blaze holding hands, which he took before he left last time.

Blaze returned with a purple nightgown on ("Of course") and looked at Sonic.

"Well, shall we get some sleep then Sonic?" she asked.

"Of course"

They both got into the bed and they wrapped their arms around each other, both knowing that they were together again and forever.

"I love you Sonic the Hedgehog"

"I love you too Blaze the Cat"

They then fell asleep in the way they wanted for a long time: together.

_**A/N**_**: Sonic is reunited with Blaze, and both could not be happier. With love on each other's minds once again, Sonic feels that his life is complete with Blaze. But he'll soon find out that all of that will change.** **Is Sonic truly together with Blaze again? Find out next time.**

**Question 2: Who was Sonic's first rival?**


	3. Paradise in the Sky

**Chapter 3: Paradise in the Sky**

The night still remained when Sonic was awoken by a strange noise. He looked over to Blaze, who was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he softly removed her arms and got up from the bed. Sonic stepped out onto the balcony and looked off into the horizon. The sounds he thought heard didn't appear again.

"Strange, I could have sworn I heard something"

Sonic heard Blaze approach him and turned to her.

"Sonic, why are you awake?" she asked.

"I heard something. Like a uhh… whisper I think"

"It was probably just the wind coming through the window. Come, let's go back to sleep"

Sonic looked back outside for a moment until Blaze grabbed his arm and brought him back inside. They both laid back down, but Sonic still had suspicions on his mind. He decided to forget about it and fell back to sleep.

* * *

Another hour after Sonic fell back to sleep, he was woken again by the sound of rumbling, with a force that knocked Sonic and Blaze out of the bed. Blaze stood up and looked towards the ceiling.

"What is happening?"

Sonic went back to the balcony and saw a huge vortex tossing trees into the air.

"What the hell is that?" he said.

Blaze looked up at the vortex and was horrified to see people and their homes being sucked in. The very land and water was raised into the vortex to be turned into nothingness on contact.

"Gods, why is this happening? Who has done this?"

"I don't think someone made this. It's probably-"

The ground shook again and they could now feel the ground being pulled up from the foundations. The wind picked up in speed and strength, causing Sonic and Blaze to be blasted off their feet. They landed on the bed, which laid against the wall now. The ceiling above them was torn off of its hinges and thrown into the vortex, which now loomed over them. The vortex had now produced lightning bolts and now started to roar with the wind.

Sonic and Blaze tried to keep themselves down by holding onto the bed, but the wind stayed strong and unrelenting. A strong blast of wind striked the two, causing Blaze to lose her grip and get thrown into the air.

"BLAZE!" Sonic yelled. Sonic let go of the bed and attempted to reach Blaze. He managed to grab a held down piece of stone and grab her arm in time.

"Blaze, just hold on. Just-"

Blaze's ears seemed to go silent, as if she could not hear Sonic or the wind. She looked up into the vortex and closed her eyes.

A disturbing thought then crossed her mind._ I am going to die. Death has come for me._

Sonic held onto both the stone and Blaze as tight as he could, but he knew his arms would give out eventually. Finally, with one large surge of wind, Sonic's grip on Blaze gave out and she was thrown into the vortex. All that was left of her was a purple puddle of nothingness.

"NOO!"

Sonic gripped the stone with both hands and managed to keep himself held down. When he thought he couldn't hold on any longer, the vortex finally vanished, which caused many trees and loads of water to fall from the sky. When he realized it was over, Sonic pulled himself back into the roofless remains of Blaze's room. He fell against the wall and repeatedly pounded his fist against the floor.

"Why? WHY?! I-it should have been me. S-she's gone… and I let her go. WHY did I let go?" Sonic held his head and screamed in anger.

After Sonic calmed himself down, he stood back up and looked into the sky above."

"She can't be gone, she just can't. If that was a meant to be a black hole, she would have been ripped to shreds even before she came into contact with it. But I think it was actually a… portal or transporter of some kind. If that's true… IF that is true then I can try to find her."

Sonic stood up and went to the door.

"But how in the world am I going to do that?"

* * *

Blaze thought she was dead, for she could hear nothing but cold wind. The sounds of voices crossed her ears, however, and she slowly opened her eyes to see a ocean of clouds above her. She then turned her eyes to the group of colorful cats before her. They all gasped in surprise or awe, with one blue cat kneeling next to her.

Blaze tried to move, but the blue cat stopped her.

"It is okay, you are safe now. Just do not move or the pain will continue"

Blaze rubbed her head in pain and looked around at the new surroundings before her.

The blue cat handed her a glass of water, which she drained quickly.

"Thank you. Uhh, can you tell me what happened?" Blaze asked.

"Well, we're not sure what happened. We were only sitting around the fountains when we saw something falling from the sky, coming in very fast. You impacted with such force that you left a huge crater, which you are now lying in. We all thought you were dead, but I am glad to know that that fate did not befall you"

_Hmph, it should have_.

"Beyond that, I know nothing else"

"I-I don't remember what happened before. Some uhh… vortex or portal or something. S-Sonic."

Blaze gasped when she realized the situation.

"Oh no, Sonic must have gotten separated from me when I was sucked in. Grr, why couldn't I have been stronger? I c-could have saved him, us"

"Please be calm. I do not want to see you hurt"

"Should have known, I guess. Everything just loves tearing us apart. Life just doesn't want us together"

Blaze stood up after her rambling, but ignored her wound. She looked around at the towering structures and was surprised with their age. Vines and other growths were crawling up the towers, with some hints of weariness around the top.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"This is Sky Paradise, haven for peace and serenity. Its beauty and uniqueness is unmatched, for you will find no other place like this anywhere. I am the… well you can say guardian of this land, Sky the Cat."

"I am Blaze the Cat." Blaze bowed to her in respect, which Sky returned.

"So tell me, is this a planet then or is it just some land?" Blaze asked.

"Well, it is a bit more complicated than that. Follow me" Blaze followed Sky to a ledge, which she assumed went down to another level. Looking over edge, however, made Blaze nauseous. All she could see below her was clouds, an endless river of clouds.

Blaze quickly stepped away and held her stomach in pain.

"S-So what happens if you… fall?"

"Death" Sky said bluntly.

Blaze swallowed the sickness in her stomach. "I see. What can else can you tell me about this place?"

"Well, it has been around for thousands of years, ever since we fought the echidnas who originally were here and claimed it for our own."

"You were at war?" Blaze asked.

"Yes, but this was way before my time. Nothing but the tales in the temple can say for sure"

"Temple?"

"Yes, the Sky Spire, that big pointy looking building in the distance. It houses our ancient treasures and knowledge"

"Hmm, could we visit this temple? I would like to see the knowledge for myself"

"Of course, we will go now if you wish"

"Indeed"

Sky walked off, but Blaze looked up at the sky for a moment and wondered.

_How did I get myself in such a situation?_

Blaze sighed and followed Sky.

* * *

Blaze continued to be part of Sky's "tour" of Sky Paradise, admiring every landmark or important feature that Sky pointed out. They then came to a small building with blue tinted windows and an arch with flowers on it that led to the front door.

"What is this place?" Blaze asked.

"This is the recreation center, where the others come to practice their skills of painting. They paint the land and sky around them, giving each individual the feel of the world"

"You say it like it can calm their nerves or something"

"In a sense it is. Can you think of something more relaxing then letting your troubles paint themselves onto a canvas?"

Blaze thought for a moment and nodded her head.

"Come. We will go inside to see the others"

Blaze and Sky entered the building and already saw other cats painting their work.

"I can see they keep themselves occupied" Blaze said.

"They must be. Focus is critical when it comes to painting. But do not think of them as machines, for they are willing to stop and rest should the need cross their minds"

Sky stepped into the middle of the room and whistled. The other cats stopped their painting and looked towards Sky.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Blaze the Cat, our new guest of our paradise. Please be kind and show compassion to our friend"

In unison, all the cats said, "Hello Blaze" with some waving and smiling to her, which she happily returned. Afterwards, Sky walked away and the others resumed painting.

"You see, you are most welcome here Blaze."

"And I am most glad for that."

Blaze and Sky exited the building and headed towards a group of fountains with some cats sitting in the small ponds surrounding them.

* * *

"This is my favorite spot, The Fountains of Soothing. They get their name from the water that flows in it, which is only native to Sky Paradise. A simple touch of the water will ease your mind of problems and replace it with thoughts of joy and peace."

"That's amazing!" Blaze said.

"Indeed it is, I come here often to wash away my troubles if ever I have any."

Sky sat down while Blaze remained standing with her arms folded. Sky ran her hands thrown the water and splashed some of it on herself.

"Ahh, it feels so nice on my fur as well."

"Hmm, I am sure even this came take away my troubles. So much to… consider"

"Yes, you seemed quite stressed with that earlier. Could you tell me why?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell" Blaze recounted the events of her Sonic being separated, of the vortex and her castle being torn apart. After she finished, she sat down next to Sky and held her face in her hands.

"I am so sorry this has happened to you. I couldn't even imagine…"

"I just need to find a way back to my kingdom. If Sonic is there, then that is where I need to be. Only problem is that I have no way to return."

"I wish I could help with this, but I can only hope you find a way"

"Thanks" Blaze smiled weakly.

_Hmph. Not much help are you?_

"So tell me, this Sonic? Are you close to him?"

"More than you think" Blaze said.

"You are lovers?" Sky asked.

"Indeed. I love him more than anything in the world. Ever more reason to return, for being without Sonic is like… losing a piece of my heart."

"Ah love, one of the gods' greatest gifts, for without love there is no happiness"

"A good philosophy, Sky. I will have to remember it"

Sky looked towards the sky and saw the sun fading beneath the clouds.

"Well, I believe the Spire will have to wait until tomorrow. Come I will show to your guest house"

* * *

Blaze followed Sky to a large building decorated with flowers and smelled of the ocean. They entered the house and went into the living area. Blaze saw the chairs and table set before her with the chandelier above shining dimly. Another room housed the bedroom, which included the bed itself, a closet and a window which overlooked the Fountains.

"Here you are Blaze. It is not much, but it will do for now"

"It is fine. I will see you in the morning"

Sky bowed to her one last time and exited the house.

Blaze laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering.

"Sonic, where ever you are, I am thinking of you. I will find you, so says me and my soul. Now it my turn to be guided to where I belong"

Blaze closed her eyes and said in a whisper, "With you my love"

_**A/N**_**: When Sonic believes he is with Blaze again, he is separated from her yet again by a mysterious force. Sonic is trapped in the Sol Kingdom while Blaze is transported to a strange world known as Sky Paradise, which is indeed one with the sky. There, Blaze meets Sky the Cat, the "guardian" of the paradise and claims she wants to help Blaze however she can. But who is she really? Find out next time.**

**Question 3: What is Blaze's favorite food?**


	4. Charm of the Sol Emeralds

**Chapter 4: Charm of the Sol Emeralds**

Sonic's failure at keeping Blaze safe gave him heartache and grief, but he promised himself that he would find a way to reach her. While this seemed a good idea in mind, it was a very daunting task for something as big as this. The past two days had him going to the village and asking the townspeople and merchants if they knew about where Blaze would have gone or how he could reach her. This only brought sorrow and fear to their minds, wondering if their princess would ever return.

Sonic calmed them by promising to them that he would find Blaze and bring her back to the kingdom safely.

"Were it so easy" he said.

Even with his constant running about for his hopeless cause, he always thought of Blaze's safety, wondering himself if she was still alive. His loss left him without rest and relaxation, for he could not do such things with Blaze missing.

"If I find her… when I find her, I will make sure this never happens again. Blaze, I will find you."

On the third day of his search, Sonic was approached by one of the townspeople, who bowed to him in respect.

"Sir Sonic, there is someone who wishes to speak with you. He says that he can help you find the princess."

"Really? Who is he?" Sonic asked.

"He is the Captain of the Royal Guard, who also oversees the ongoings of the princess. If an issue arises with her or the kingdom, he is first to know. I do not know of his name, but he says that it was urgent that he speaks with you. He waits for you in the courtyard."

"Thank you for the information. I'd better not keep him waiting."

Sonic ran back towards the castle and was stopped by a guard at the gate.

"Hedgehog, I assume you got the message from the captain. He is in the courtyard with the other men, preparing them if another attack should happen."

"Does he or any of you even know what you are dealing with?"

"To be honest, no. Only rumors and speculation is all I hear from the others, which worries me, seeing as we are very under-equipped to deal with such a threat. But, whatever the cause, we will stop it, don't you worry. Come, I will take you to the Captain."

Sonic followed the guard to the courtyard, where he saw the Captain talking to a group of soldiers. Sonic could hear words of rebuilding and security, but he knew that the Captain was steering away from the actual problem, the missing princess.

"I don't care how long it takes, Charles. With the castle in ruins, we are vulnerable to any other forces that may attack us. If we rebuild, the chances of the kingdom thriving will grow ever more. Now, I expect this to be handled carefully. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes sir, but this task with require more than a few soldiers. We need plans and supplies."

"Hmm, you are right with that. Seek out the architects in the village, see if they cannot help us. If they still are dissuaded, tell them that I requested it."

Charles saluted to the Captain and left the courtyard. The Captain then turn his attention to Sonic and waved him over.

"So you are this 'Sonic' character I have heard about. I am Captain Trotsky." They shook hands, but the look on Trotsky's face made Sonic uncomfortable.

"Hmm, I never got why the princess was so fond of you. You don't look very special to me"

"Why? Because you couldn't do half of what I do for a living?"

"What I do for a living is protect the princess of our kingdom, and I believe a certain someone let her go. Now please, remind me who that was again. Oh yes, our so called "hero". You are no hero, hedgehog, not to me or to this kingdom. Your "heroic" actions say otherwise"

"Enough! I do not care what you think of me okay? All I know is that you wanted my help finding Blaze. So you can either stop and help me, or you can leave. Your choice, buddy" Trotsky stood up and told Sonic to follow him.

Sonic followed him into the castle and walked into a room titled 'War Room'. The room was filled with various battle relics from over the centuries, with banners to symbolize the Royal Family, and a lone picture of Blaze hung between two torches. Trotsky sat down by a table which had a map of the kingdom and the islands surrounding it. The map itself was covered with pins marking landmarks around the islands.

"So, you want your information, correct? A solution to finding the princess?" Trotsky asked.

"That's all I want. I assume you know of a way?"

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. She could be worlds, dimensions away, and as far as I know, there is no way to reach her. Even the Sol Emeralds, with all their powers, cannot reach these distances"

"There must be a way. If she was able to send a package to my world with no trouble, who's to say that we cannot teleport ourselves?"

"We have tried this, but sending an animate object with the emeralds causes them to end up somewhere that we never even thought of. That's the way the emeralds are, how they have always been. They are unpredictable, unbalanced, and dangerous."

"I'm not worried about the danger. Just tell me how we can fix this, and I will do whatever it takes." Sonic looked out the window and saw the Sol Emeralds Altar in the distance.

Trotsky paced around the room and finally had a revelation. "Well, I do have a theory, a theory, that maybe the emeralds have more power to them that we are supposed to acknowledge"

"So what, like untapped powers, or maybe even undiscovered? Hmm, how to unlock these powers is what I wonder"

Trotsky stood up and looked out the window.

"Perhaps we should find out."

* * *

Blaze awoke the following morning, wondering if the whole mess with her in another world and losing Sonic was a dream, but she felt the other side of the bed, but felt nothing. She sat up and looked at her hands.

"Why must these things happen to me? It is bad enough I lost Sonic yet again, but now I'm in some strange world where I can't see him."

Blaze got up from the bed and went to the window to see the other cats walking by and sitting down by the Fountains. The sun in the distance grew over the clouds, making the scenery below shine in the light.

"I need to stop to worrying about it, for the more I do, the more stressed I get. I am positive Sonic is trying to reach me and as long as I know that, worrying will not make it any better."

Blaze walked outside and sat down by the Fountains, waiting for Sky. She dipped her hands in the water and splashed it on her face, but she did not feel any different (besides wet) afterwards.

"Hmph, I see the magic water didn't work"

Sky finally exited her house and walked over to Blaze.

"Good morning Blaze, you slept well correct?"

"Well, not exactly a 'good' rest, but I am fine with this now. I will not worry about this situation any longer."

"I understand. I assume you wish to see the Temple now?"

"Indeed. The knowledge of your people and land would be a fascinating tale"

Blaze and Sky walked to the Sky Spire, and as they came closer towards it, Blaze noticed that the Spire itself reached over the clouds, making the tip of the structure invisible.

"So, what can you tell me about the Sky Spire itself?" Blaze asked.

"Well, it was built after the war, to symbolize the heroic deeds of those who fought those days. After some centuries, however, we decided to use it to house our most treasured artifacts and relics, but there was one item that has kept us thriving for centuries, the Sky Scepter."

"Sky Scepter?"

"Yes, you see even before the war with the echidnas, there was an army of god-like creatures, which we called Sky Eaters, and their leader, The Ruler, who sought to destroy the very clouds and sky itself, with the powers of darkness that he stored within himself. When we thought hope was lost, the very gods of the skies created the Sky Scepter, said to hold innumerable amounts of power and knowledge, and we used this power to cast away the Eaters and The Ruler and restore our world to peace."

"That is amazing. Something as powerful as that should have been worshipped"

"We do not worship the scepter, but there is someone we do worship"

Sky stopped at the entrance to the Spire and looked toward Blaze.

"Now, you are about to enter an area full of invaluable wisdom and irreplaceable artifacts. I ask that you show care and respect for these things and do not touch the artifacts. Understood?"

"Of course, you will have no trouble from me"

"Excellent. Shall we?"

Sky opened the door and Blaze stepped in to see the amazing surroundings of the inside of the Spire. The walls were covered in sparkling crystal shards and gemstones, which shined in the light pouring in through the roofless ceiling. In the middle of the room, a large stone pointed up towards the ceiling, which also had writing all over the stone. Next to the stone was a statue of a cat-like woman holding a cloud in one hand and blades of grass in the other.

"Is this your goddess I'm guessing?"

"Yes, that is Syril, Goddess of the Sky and Clouds, who has watched over our Paradise for, well forever. She protects all those who live here and in return we give gifts of thriving land and everlasting rivers of clouds."

"Is that all you know about her?" Blaze asked.

"Well, no one has ever studied a god up close before, so we are only blessed with information that we are supposed to know."

"So why worship something you know little about? I think it would require more knowledge to understand"

"Blaze, I understand your suspicions and I somewhat agree with it. But understand this, without our gods, there would be no sky or land to thrive on. We live because the gods allow it, and we are all grateful because of this."

"I suppose that's true. But enough of this, I wish to look around some more."

"Very well, follow me."

Blaze listened to Sky as she pointed out different artifacts and loved hearing the history behind it. Blaze looked at a group of statues that surrounded Syril's statue. The statues were short and skinny looking, but had wings on their backs and spears and swords in their hands.

"Sky, what are these statues I am looking at?" Blaze asked.

"The Sky Eaters, the monsters that threatened our land. They-"

"Yes, I know, you already explained this. But I see no statue to The Ruler"

"Well, no one knew what he looked like, for he was never seen by the ancient warriors, but most scholars on the subject believed that he wore a hooded cloak and stayed invisible during any encounters. Most people just believe that he didn't exist, but we at least know that he was there when the war broke out. But he has been dead for centuries, and there are no signs of any return involving him, so we do not worry about such things anymore"

Hmm. The Ruler…

"Is this Sky Scepter in the Temple? I wish to see what it looks like."

"Yes, it is in the Vaults below the Temple. Only privileged people are allowed to see it, but you are in luck, as I have such clearance."

Sky went to the far wall and pressed her hand against it, which made the wall move in a rotating motion. It stopped when it revealed a doorway.

"The Vaults are downstairs. Now when we reach the scepter, I ask that you do not touch it, for its powers have the ability to make you 'see' things."

Blaze nodded in agreement and followed Sky downstairs. Sky pressed her hand against the door at the bottom of the stairs, which opened up with a flash of light. They entered the room and saw the Sky Scepter floating in the middle of the room, with a magical barrier surrounding it.

"Behold, the Sky Scepter" said Sky.

The scepter itself was blue along the bottom, with a green shade covering the curved top. A large red jewel floated in the circle, which glowed dimly every few seconds.

"It is most impressive, Sky. Even looking at it seems to give a sense of knowledge"

B-Blaze…

Blaze looked behind her when she heard her name, but no one was there.

"Did you hear that?"

"No, what exactly did you hear?" asked Sky.

"I-I'm not sure. It sounded like my name"

Sky became worried when she came to a revelation. She grabbed Blaze's arm and attempted to remove her from the room.

"Blaze, we are not safe here. We must go."

Y-You seek… answers, knowledge, and power. I will show you.

A whoosh brushed past Blaze's mind, making her fall to the ground in pain. She yelled as numerous whispers and images entered her mind, but she would not let this invisible foe compromise her.

"G-Get out of me!"

She then felt as if an invisible rope tied itself around her, as if being captured within hatred and darkness. Her voice then started to grow deeper and more demonic, and her eyes turned dark red. Blaze lied still for a moment, but once Sky touched her shoulder, a different voice screamed and Blaze's form was now de-formed and nightmarish.

"You fools. You think I am defeated after that… intermission of weakness, but you do not know that I have grown in strength after all these centuries. All I needed was a simple 'tool' such as this weak form I have possessed, and have this form behold the power of the scepter. Now, with the ever draining life-force of this form, I will return and this time NO ONE will stand in my way. Prepare for your destruction, prepare for… The Arrival"

The dark feeling around Blaze disappeared, making her collapse onto the ground. Sky came to her side and tried to wake her, but she would not.

"Who was that who spoke? It sounded so… familiar. Return? Who is…"

Sky then came to a startling conclusion.

"T-the Ruler, it couldn't be. It is impossible for him to return, even with all of his strength. But he talked of the scepter, of Blaze's life-force, so he is using her strength to return, so he can… take control of the scepter. I will not allow that to happen, but Blaze needs to be taken somewhere safe"

Sky gently lifted Blaze and had her lay against her shoulder as Sky walked.

"But soon, I fear that none of us will be safe"

* * *

Sonic and Trotsky rushed to the Sol Emerald Altar, where they saw the seven emeralds still floating around the altar. Sonic looked towards Trotsky, who was worn out after running the whole way here.

"So, remind me of this plan of yours. We need to know what to do."

"Well, remember that this is just a theory, but I think it is something to do with the manipulation of the emeralds. You see, the emeralds only 'answer' to Blaze, as she is the guardian of them, but maybe if there was a way to… trick the emeralds into thinking that we, or you at least, are Blaze."

Sonic coughed at his suggestion. "So, what? You want me to dress up as Blaze? Put my spines in a ponytail? Alright, but I can't really run in high-heels"

"Would you shut up? That's not what I meant, hedgehog. What I meant was use your thoughts and memories of Blaze to have the emeralds detect her presence"

"Would that work though? I can't just think of Blaze and they magically answer me"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" asked Trotsky.

"Uhh, just one. But it may be a bit unorthodox" Sonic said.

Sonic walked up to the altar and noticed the emeralds were glowing more brightly than usual, but also they had stopped spinning.

"Hmm, is it really that simple?" he asked himself.

He held out his hands and the emeralds floated down to eye level, and now resumed spinning around him. Sonic walked back to Trotsky and was awestruck by the simple answer to their problem.

"How on earth did you do that? I thought the emeralds only answered Blaze."

"That's because Blaze and I are, well were, in a relationship. So when we agreed to be with each other for the rest of our lives, the emeralds took me into account as their guardian as well, of the emeralds and Blaze"

Trotsky snickered at his answer, but tried not to laugh out loud.

"Okay, so answer me this. You knew this the whole time right? So tell me why you failed to mention this earlier?"

"I didn't think it would actually work. But now that I know…"

The emeralds glowed brighter as he clenched his fists.

"Wait, I'm going with you, hedgehog" said Trotsky.

"Why? I can find Blaze and save her myself, I don't need another life on my hands"

"You fail this little expedition, many more will surely follow. Besides, having an ally on this mission will surely help you if we ever run into trouble."

Sonic sighed, but decided to let Trotsky accompany him. Trotsky stood in the circle of emeralds and waited for Sonic to teleport. Before he could begin, however, Trotsky grabbed his arm.

"But I warn you, hedgehog. If Blaze is hurt in any way, shape or form, it will be on your head."

"I will find her" Sonic reassured.

"Good. Let us see then"

Sonic held out his hands and started speaking inaudible phrases. The emeralds spun faster and faster and finally Sonic said the words to bring them to Blaze.

"Sol Control!"

With a flash of spiraling light, Sonic and Trotsky disappeared within the flash of light.

_**A/N**_**: I realize it has been awhile since my last update, but this new chapter will make up for the time lost.**

**Sonic is trapped in the Sol Kingdom, searching for a way to reach Blaze. He meets the Captain of the Royal Guard, Trotsky, who agrees to help him find Blaze, but he appears to have a grudge against Sonic. Meanwhile, Blaze is told about the history of Sky Paradise, and their secret weapon, the Sky Scepter. While examining the scepter, a foreboding voice takes over Blaze and tells that "he will return soon" and to prepare for The Arrival.**

**With Sonic on his way to find Blaze, what will happen once they reunite? Find out next time.**

**Question 4: If Sonic had a super form from the Sol Emeralds, what would it be called and what would he do?**


	5. Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 5: Secrets Revealed**

Sky carried Blaze back to her house and laid her on the bed, but Blaze still remained unconscious from the "encounter" with The Ruler in the Temple. As Sky looked over Blaze, she wondered about the words that were spoken through Blaze, and if it truly was The Ruler plotting his return.

"He spoke of destruction and reign over our land, but how can he even attempt to return? He has been dead for centuries and any actual sign of his return had been false or disproven, until now that is. His words say otherwise however, of returning through Blaze, and using her for his return. What does he mean by that?"

Sky stood up and looked out the window and saw that the clouds were moving closer to one another, creating a storm system. The thunder and lightning came, and next the rain and wind. People fled to their homes to escape the rain and the Fountains began to fill with water, which overflowed after a time.

"IF this is true, then Blaze needs to be kept out of his grasp, away from the Scepter. If The Ruler is able to control her again, he will use her for his own deeds, and likely… return to destroy our land. We have no guards to protect us, only the Scepter, and even it cannot save us all. What can we do to be rid of this threat?"

* * *

Outside on this stormy day, a portal opened in the skies above the land. The brightness of the portal itself made the surrounding area light up, which made the people of Sky Paradise panic. Out of the portal, Sonic and Trotsky fell from the sky, but quickly regained balance when they noticed the ground coming closer. Trotsky landed with no trouble, but Sonic's quicker decent made him slide on the ground before he could stop himself.

"Really need to work on my landing" Sonic said, dusting himself off.

Trotsky stood beside him and looked around the new surroundings.

"Well, we're here, I think. Do you know where we are?"

"No idea, perhaps we should look around. I'm sure there are some people we can talk to that will help us"

"Do not trust so easily, hedgehog. Any one of these people could be hostile, and the last thing we need is a conflict with the area. Handle this with caution."

"Please, I know how to be charismatic around people who are not wanting to cooperate. Just don't do anything… threatening around them."

"I make no promises" Trotsky said with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Sonic and Trotsky walked through the area and noticed that most people were in their homes, out of the storm. They approached the pair of fountains and stopped to observe the area.

"Well, I don't think we'll have any luck out here. Let's go knock on some doors and see if anyone will talk" said Sonic.

"And what are you going ask them? I don't think they would just give out information."

"Well, things like 'where are we?' and 'is there a purple cat named Blaze somewhere here?'"

"And what if you're wrong? What if they don't know where Blaze is and we are in the wrong place?"

"Then we'll keep looking. I won't stop until I find her"

Trotsky pushed past Sonic and walked off towards the houses ahead.

"Let's not waste any time then"

Sonic looked at the ground for a moment, with a strange thought on his mind, but decided to forget it and hurried after Trotsky.

* * *

Sky was about to fall to sleep when she heard voices outside. She went to the window and looked down at a blue hedgehog and brown cat walking by her house. Sky listened to their conversation and heard Blaze's name come up and followed by an argument between the two.

"Why are you hostile towards me, Trotsky? What exactly have I done to earn your distrust?"

"You deceive yourself, hedgehog. It is your greatest flaw, of any who call themselves a 'hero'. There is no such thing as heroes to me. Why? Because their actions lead to destruction and disorder, and who is responsible for cleaning up your messes? We are. We, the civilians, those who do more than any hero."

"So, you're calling me ungrateful for what they do for me? You're wrong, I save the world so that they can live another day, so that they can continue their lives. Without people like me, or Blaze, you wouldn't have a goddamn chance. I fight FOR the civilians."

"Please, the only person you fight for is yourself, to save your own skin, your pride and fame. As I said before, deception is what you bring yourself, because when you talk of heroic actions and saving the world, all I see is a fool who takes our struggles for granted, that saving these people from their own calamities will make them look up to you."

"People do look up to me, they appreciate all I have done for them, all I have sacrificed and forgotten for THEM. You think it's easy being a hero? I have lost and suffered as much as you have. I have lost those I care about, people I love, people I never want to see hurt. And I give it all away so that others can live, all in the name of freedom. Don't judge me, don't you dare. I know what I am, I know why I chose this, and I know what I have lost on the way."

Trotsky rubbed his eyes and sat down next to the fountains.

"You truly mean that don't you?" he asked.

"Look, whatever you think of me, of how I act and operate, that's not what matters. What matters is that I chose this life, and I even with every regret of the decision on my mind, I still continue on my way. So, I will say this again, I will not rest until Blaze is safe, and I know you won't either. But the only way we can do this is together, as a team."

Trotsky nodded in approval and stood up.

"Alright, I'm with you. Let's get Blaze home, partner."

Sonic and Trotsky shook hands and continued on their search for Blaze, which was interrupted when they were approached by a blue cat who barred their way.

"Excuse me, my name is Sky the Cat. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Did you say you were looking for Blaze?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's… a friend of ours. Do you know where she might be?"

"A question first. Is your name Sonic per chance?"

"Yeah, it is. How did you know that?" Sonic asked.

"She told me all about you. I will show you where she is, but you may not like the state she is in currently."

Sonic and Trotsky followed Sky, but Sonic looked at her in concern.

"She's not… injured is she?"

"No, or at least, I don't think so. She is unconscious after an encounter with a dead madman, who tried communicating through her soul."

"What are you talking about?" asked Trotsky.

Sky sighed and turned to the two of them.

"I think I will have to explain this further for you to understand. Please do not interrupt until I have finished"

Sky explained how Blaze and she entered the Sky Spire and went to examine the Sky Scepter, which caused The Ruler to take control of Blaze and spoke through her. Sky also told of the words he spoke and the foreboding speculation of his return.

Once Sky finished talking, Sonic and Trotsky thought about what they just heard. Trotsky was about to ask Sky a question, but Sonic interrupted.

"Listen, can you take me to her? I need to see her, to know how she is. And if the worst is what has happened, I will deal with it. Just please, take me to her."

Sky bowed in approval and signaled them to follow her.

* * *

Sonic and Trotsky followed Sky into her house and walked into her bedroom to see Blaze still unconscious. Sonic quickly went to her side and put his hand on hers, to assure her that he was there now. Sonic sighed at the state that Blaze was in right now.

"How long has she been like this?" Trotsky asked.

"A few hours I think. There is nothing I can do to wake her, so the best thing to do is wait for her to wake."

"I'll wait as long as I have to. I'm sure she can come out this okay; she's been through worse." Sonic said.

Sonic stood up and kissed Blaze on her forehead. He and Trotsky walked outside and sat down by the door and waited for Sky to fetch them. Hours passed, people walked by them in every direction, and the sun started to go behind the clouds. Sonic started to get bored of waiting and laid his head against the wall.

He looked at Trotsky and saw him sharpening his sword with a rock. An idea then crossed Sonic's mind.

"Trotsky, tell me about yourself" said Sonic.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You know, just how did you get mixed up in all this and why you are Captain of an army of soldiers"

"And why should I tell you? Is there a reason to know?"

"No, I just thought it would be right to know something about you."

Trotsky sighed and sheathed his sword.

"What's to tell? I was born in the Sol Kingdom, to a mother and father I never knew. I grew up alone and without friends, only to survive for myself. After I came of age, I joined the royal army, because I wanted to be part of a cause that swore to protect the king and queen if ever a catastrophe struck. But of course, it did strike when we least expected it. Hooded men attacked the castle and burned it to the ground, and almost killed my fellow friends. I know this because I was there, I saw it all burning and the blood, and I heard the screaming and the sword strikes and… the sound of a poor mother losing her child."

"Why did you not run? Save yourself?"

"I swore down my life that I would keep the king and queen safe when I first joined, and I was not about to give that up. Next thing I knew, the queen had summoned me to her, who was holding young Blaze, scared out of her mind. She only told me to take Blaze and run as far I could; I wanted so hard to refuse and help her, but she told me that it was the only way. I did as she said and took Blaze to a safe house in the woods, and I had to watch in horror as the castle was set ablaze and the king and queen dead. I then tracked down the ones responsible for all this chaos and made sure they paid with their lives."

"Did you help rebuild?" Sonic asked.

"No, in fact, after all that happened I could stand to see my home in ruins. I ran and kept myself in exile for 7 years, so no one could disturb me and remind me of what happened. But after those all those years, someone did knock on my door and in entered Blaze, who had looked grown up and with a sense of authority around her. She told me that I had been a great help during the reign of her parents and now that she was princess she asked me if I wanted to become Captain. I refused at first, not want to bear upon anymore losses and see more of my friends killed, but she persuaded me, telling me that by me being Captain, the weight of command would surely overwhelm me, but I must stay strong and vigilant to keep anyone alive."

"Did you take the position then?"

"I did. And I have not regretted it until this moment. Looking back on it now, and with the current situation that we are in, what use am I if there is no one to protect?"

"But that's where you're wrong. Look again, and you can clearly see that we have found Blaze."

"Yes, but who knows if she will wake, and every moment more that we must wait, another catastrophe could occur."

"Have faith in yourself, Trotsky. This will all be over soon, and when it is, you'll have quite the tale to tell your soldiers."

Trotsky laughed slightly and patted Sonic on the shoulder.

* * *

Sky stepped away from the door, who had listened to Trotsky's conversation, and looked back towards Blaze, who began to stir slightly. Sky rushed to her side and could hear Blaze muttering something, but she could not hear what it was. Sky leaned in closer and heard Sonic's name escape her mouth, then she then started to clench and unclench her fist. Blaze finally awoke with a startled look about her. She held out a ball of fire, as if someone was attacking her, but Sky quickly stood in front of her and calmed her down.

Blaze lowered her hands and pressed a hand to her head.

"Oh, my head hurts like the devil. What in the world happened in there Sky? I could… hear the Scepter calling to me, and then… there was nothing. The very silence of darkness overtook my mind and tossed the feeling from my brain."

"I know what happened Blaze, but you must relax, please. Just listen to what I say"

Sky explained what happened to Blaze in the Vaults, and once she had finished talking, Blaze paced around the room and thought about what she just heard.

"So someone, this Ruler, took control of me and spoke through me? He called me a tool, part of his plan"

Blaze sat down on the bed and held her face in her hands and yelled.

"God, I can't think straight right now. One moment my minds lingers on my situation and then it suddenly turns to Sonic."

"S-Sonic! Gods, I forgot about him. Blaze wait right here, I'll be right back"

"W-wait…" Sky left before Blaze finished.

Sky went outside and saw Sonic by himself lying in the grass.

"Uhh, Sonic, where did your friend go?" Sky asked.

"He went to the Spire to explore, but he'll be back shortly I think."

"Well, listen, Blaze is awake. I am sure you will want to see her"

Sonic stood up immediately.

"S-she's awake? Thank god."

Sonic went inside and saw Blaze looked out the opposite window. He yelled her name and she turned to Sonic in shock.

"S-Sonic!" They both hugged each other and looked into each other's eyes in assurance.

"Y-you're here? You're actually here!" Blaze kissed him repeatedly and she stopped a moment later to let him speak.

"I am here Blaze, and I will never let you go again, I swear that. A thousand times I swear that. Every moment you were gone I grieved that something had happened to you, but I knew better than that. You're Blaze the Cat, the fiery princess that I love. So beautiful, yet so powerful."

Blaze smiled at his comment and kissed him.

"And you are Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest in my heart, one that wants you and needs you. The one that loves you"

Sonic and Blaze kissed on more time and then they looked towards the door and saw Sky looking at them.

"Thank you for making sure nothing tried to harm her while she was here. I really do owe you one."

Sonic and Sky shook hands and then heard Trotsky knocking on the door.

"Princess… Blaze, you are unharmed. Thank the gods for this miracle."

"Trotsky? Why are you here?" asked Blaze.

"I traveled here with Sonic, we used the Sol Emeralds to transport ourselves here. I feared the worst of you princess, but I am glad to hear that you are alright."

Blaze nodded to Trotsky and turned to Sonic.

"How did you use the Sol Emeralds? They only do as I command do they not?"

"It's because of the bond between you and me, Blaze. I think the emeralds knew you were in trouble and they saw me as a… guardian of the emeralds and… you. But you need no guardian Blaze, for you can take care of yourself and not be turned away by anything. Always determined and headstrong, which is one of many things I love about you."

"Hmm, well if the emeralds truly did answer your call and sent you here to find me, surely that must mean something."

Trotsky brought out the emeralds and handed them to Blaze for safe-keeping. She then suddenly brought her face close to Sonic's, where they were now touching noses."

"Well, one more thing to protect it seems. I will have to be cautious about how my responsibilities keep getting lost from me."

They kissed and held hands as they looked to the others. Sky had a kind look about her, whereas Trotsky seemed disturbed by their love.

"Perhaps we should talk elsewhere, Sonic. Alone."

* * *

Sonic and Blaze left the house and went across the gardens and entered Blaze's guest house. Once they got settled on the bed, Sonic laid on the end of bed and looked at Blaze.

"I find it surprising that Trotsky lended you his aid. He is usually hard-headed and a bit quiet."

"Trust me, it wasn't easy for him to get along with me. He questioned my heroics, insulted my sacrifices, and worst of all, called people like you and me fools"

"How dare he say such blasphemies! I will surely speak to him about this."

"No, no, there is no need for that. I mean, his words were harsh, but there was also truth. Sometimes, I don't thank people often enough, or show my gratitude. Sometimes I question who I would be if I never became a hero."

"Well, it is not exactly a choice you make Sonic. These lives, they chose us and we only play along as life commands us to. You see, your speed and your uncompromisable heart is what keeps you going on every adventure, and even when you want to quit, give up or lie down and be ready to take your own life, you always find a way to keep moving."

"Yeah, but all of that is just out of luck, because I usually always have help in these situations. Most of the time, I don't even know what the hell I'm going to do, but I do it any way. Without me, and my speed and my skills, you wouldn't even want to be my friend, because of how weak I really am."

"Enough of this talk, Sonic. I would indeed still love you without your speed, because that is not what matters. What does matters is your actions at heart, because you are always there to save the day, to cheer someone up, to help make the world a better place. I love you because of your heart Sonic."

Sonic smiled at kissed Blaze, but before he could pull away, Blaze locked lips again and only let go to whisper a few choice words into his ear.

"Kiss me, my love and let our hearts guide us through this experience. Do not speak, only listen."

Sonic and Blaze kissed and lied down on the bed together. They did not need to say their love for each other, for they already knew in their hearts that they were together forever.

_**A/N**_**: I again apologize for the waiting period between my chapters, but I will try to work on my uploading speed quicker next time.**

**Sonic and Trotsky find their way to Sky Paradise, where they meet Sky and find Blaze, but is unconscious after the encounter in the Vaults. As they wait for Blaze's recovery, Trotsky tells Sonic of what he thinks of him and his heroics, and after their falling out, Trotsky tells Sonic about his past and how he came to know Blaze. Blaze awakes shortly after and she and Sonic reunited once again. They express their love for each other and told of how wonderful they both were.**

**Now that Sonic has found Blaze, getting home is the next task. But that will have to wait, for darkness is approaching and The Ruler's Arrival will soon be upon them.**

**Question 5: Who created the Chaos Emeralds and for what purpose?**


	6. The Arrival

**Chapter 6: The Arrival **

During the middle of the night, Sky exited her house and silently walked towards the Sky Spire. She looked up at the starry sky and smiled, but sorrow and confusion soon replaced her happiness, for she knew that The Ruler's return was eminent. She knew that his return would only mean destruction and despair, but she couldn't think of any way from stopping The Ruler's Arrival from happening.

"Is he meant to return then? A destiny that cannot be changed? If this is true, then there is nothing any of us can do but… let it happen."

Sky walked up to the main door of the Spire, but looked back at the land around her. She sighed and only lowered her head in regret.

"I will try to stop this from happening. That much I can do, but I fear that it will not be enough"

Sky entered the Spire and looked around at the artifacts to see if they held any answers to why and how The Ruler would return. Sky found nothing at first, but she then saw a mural on the wall, which had carvings of an unknown make, but she knew that these murals told of prophecies and of things to come in the future. The only things she could make out of the picture was a golden figure surrounded by a golden aura and in front of it was a wave of darkness and a pair of reddish eyes over the darkness.

There was writing underneath that mural, but this too had faded mostly, for the only words that were visible was "Darkness" and "Light. As Sky looked at these words, she felt a whisper pass her ears, making her go stiff at the noise. She knew that it was The Ruler trying to take control of her, but she would not let herself be consumed.

As the voices surrounded her thoughts, Sky struggled to keep control of herself, but she knew that The Ruler's strength was greater. Sky then felt her own feet move on their own, as if being dragged by an invisible force. Against her will, Sky walked down to the Vaults and pressed the switch to open the door. Sky stepped inside the room and saw the Sky Scepter ahead of her, but she managed to regain control of her body and ran to the door, but closed before she could leave. The whispers then started to form words from The Ruler.

_Touch the scepter, guardian. You will be the one to unleash me, or you will die._

"J-just kill me then. I would rather die than let you return, monster. K-kill me!" Sky yelled as she felt herself hit the ground.

_Oh, you will die, believe me. But not until you see everything you hold dear crumble around you. Not until it all burns away at your feet._

The Ruler's grip on Sky remained strong, making her lift her arm in pain. Sky pushed her arm back as hard she could, but before she could bring it back, the invisible grip surged her forward and she felt the Sky Scepter in her hands. The scepter glowed brightly for a moment, but after a moment of silence, bolts of lightning and flares shot out of it. A large beam of light shot out of the top and blasted through both ceilings and into the sky.

Sky looked up in fatigue at what she had just done and saw the light shooting into the skies, creating storm clouds and gale force winds. As she looked into the light, a dark figure rose out of the light and looked at his hands as he saw the surroundings.

The Ruler had returned.

"Yes, YES!" he yelled. The Ruler looked at Sky, who was now unconscious and saw the Sky Scepter lying next to her. The Ruler picked up the scepter and felt the surge of power flowing through him, making him laugh in triumph. The Ruler then lifted Sky with the scepter's power and looked at her unconscious state.

"So, we meet at last, Sky. How long I have waited to see you suffer, to see you die. But death will come in good time, when the life you live dies first. I only hope you told your little friends about what you really are"

The Ruler slammed Sky against the wall several times and finally dropped her and left her to die.

"This world is mine, and shall watch as it burns, just as it did all those years ago. No one will stand in my way, not even the hedgehog."

The Ruler held up the scepter and another bolt of lightning shot out of it.

* * *

Sonic and Blaze were awoken when they heard the sound of knocking at the door, but they couldn't hear anyone saying their names. Sonic opened the door, but was blasted against the wall by a strong wind. He quickly got up and went outside and saw the storm mixing above him.

"Blaze, get out here now!" Sonic yelled.

Blaze quickly exited the house and looked at the storm. She saw bolts of lightning streaming across the clouds and roars of thunder filling the air. The strength of the wind was so strong that trees and parts of the ground collapsed at the force.

"Quickly, we have to gather Trotsky and Sky!" Blaze said.

Sonic and Blaze made their way up the path, avoiding any debris that came flying past them. Trotsky ran over to them and took cover with them behind a building.

"Hedgehog, what the hell is going on?" Trotsky asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think that this is a normal storm" Sonic said.

"What do you mean? That someone made this storm?"

"We can discuss this later, Trotsky. We must find Sky first" Blaze said.

"I checked her home already, but she was not there. Gods, I hope she didn't do anything stupid" Trotsky said.

The three of them heard a loud roar of thunder and looked to the skies. A large beam of light shot up through the Sky Spire, which created another storm system.

"Come on, we have to get to the Spire" Sonic said.

They quickly exited their cover and ran in between alleyways to avoid the debris, with one large tree smashing down in front of them. The civilians of Sky Paradise ran to their homes, shouting words of death and destruction.

* * *

Once they reached the Spire, the wind picked up in speed, but Sonic managed to move faster than the wind and reached the doors to the Spire, but they were locked.

"Dammit, I have to get in there" Sonic said.

Sonic saw an open window above the doorway and quickly ran up the side of the building to reach the window. He pulled himself in and just as he hit the ground, an invisible force punched him in the face and threw him against the wall. Sonic looked around for the source of, but could see no one. More punches hit his side and stomach, then felt himself being lifted and then slammed onto the ground. A sharp object clenched his throat and a hooded figure appeared above him.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of not just Earth, but of all worlds it seems. Protector of the Chaos and Sol Emeralds" The figure laughed. "So many titles, yet all mean nothing to me anymore. I once knew what it meant to be a hero, to be praised by all, but I saw something more than that over time. Power is what made me into what I am today, the power of the gods. And soon after I rid of this 'paradise', you will know my name, everyone will know my name"

"The Ruler? I know what you are, a monster. One who gets his kicks out of watching other people suffer. That will be the only reason people will know who you are."

"A fair trade for what I gave up."

The Ruler lifted Sonic again, but before he could do anymore damage, Blaze and Trotsky busted in through the door, distracting The Ruler long enough for Sonic to punch him and drop him. Sonic limped away holding his neck to bring back the lost air, but he saw The Ruler point the Sky Scepter at the other two. Sonic stepped in front of them and kicked the scepter away, leaving The Ruler defenseless.

The Ruler roared into the sky above them and a large rumbling then filled the room, causing parts of the ceiling to cave in. The three of them moved out of the way and all started to attack The Ruler. Sonic used his wind tornadoes to blind The Ruler, then Blaze launched a barrage of fireballs at him, followed by Trotsky charging in to deal some blows with his sword.

As the fight raged on, The Ruler started to become agitated by the harm they were dealing him. He held up a fist, which was then surrounded by a ball of darkness. He slammed it into the ground, making a shock-wave powerful enough to bring up the stones from the ground. The three were knocked off their feet, and The Ruler held out a hand and a dark sword appeared out of a portal of darkness.

Sonic looked around him and tried to think of what to do, seeing that The Ruler was preparing to finish them. He then saw Trotsky's sword lying in front of him and made a quick grab for it. Before The Ruler could attack any of them, Sonic blocked it with his sword and managed to fend off The Ruler's attack.

"Y-You both have to get out of here, now!" Sonic yelled to the others.

"What? You're crazy if you think we're going to leave you" Blaze said.

Sonic dodged The Ruler's attacks and landed a blow that knocked The Ruler to the floor. Sonic then looked at Blaze and Trotsky.

"Don't argue with me Blaze. It is the only way to end this, and if I don't do anything to stop him, you will all have to suffer for my mistakes." Sonic said.

"Sonic, I am not losing you again. You promised me you would never leave me again."

"And I'm still keeping that promise. No matter what happens, I will always be with you."

Sonic and Blaze kissed, but Blaze had not let go of Sonic's hand.

"And I have promised you the same, Sonic. If we die, let it be together, for I will not sit here and let you get yourself killed. We will fight together, just like we always have."

"I'm with you as well, hedgehog. This is a fight for all of us to remember" said Trotsky.

Sonic only smiled and nodded to the two of them and they turned back to The Ruler, who was holding the Sky Scepter again.

"Such friendships between you all. No matter, for you will only die together."

Sonic, Blaze and Trotsky then took a fighting stance and said together, "So be it!"

* * *

The Ruler started firing lasers from the scepter which burned holes in the walls behind them, but Blaze used fireballs to stun The Ruler. Sonic decided to go head to head with The Ruler and started using his speed to deal damage with his fists, but The Ruler caught one of his attacks and grabbed him by the neck. He held the scepter close to Sonic's face, but Trotsky knocked him in the back of the head before he could fire again.

"Grr, you pests are getting on my nerves!" The Ruler then combined his slamming and his laser attack, by channeling the dark energy through the scepter. Once he planted it into the ground, a wave of darkness surrounded all of them. Blaze and Trotsky screamed as voices and hellish visions entered their minds, making them fall to the ground holding their heads in agony.

"M-make it stop! K-kill me! D-destroy… b-burn it all!" Blaze cried uncontrollably and screamed into the ground.

Sonic was unaffected by the dark energy, however, and looked at Blaze and Trotsky in horror.

The Ruler growled and looked at Sonic. "How can you resist? You should be begging for mercy at your feet"

"Because I have nothing to fear. You don't scare me, and nothing you do ever will"

The Ruler laughed and lowered the scepter, making Sonic confused.

"Behold then, the face of your death!"

The Ruler then reached for his hood and lowered it.

_**A/N**_**: The Ruler has finally been unleashed by Sky, who, under The Ruler's influence, helped release him from the Sky Scepter. With The Ruler's return, Sonic, Blaze and Trotsky fight him as the storm around all of them rages. Now, The Ruler intimidates Sonic by showing him the skills and strength that he has, but when he seems to be defeated he decides to deceive Sonic by showing who he really is.**

**Question 6: What should The Ruler truly look like?**


	7. Fallen Heroes

**Chapter 7: Fallen Heroes**

The Ruler had his face lowered for a moment when he dropped his hood, making Sonic prepare himself for an attack, but once The Ruler lifted his head, Sonic had backed up at the sight of his face. The Ruler's face resembled Sonic's with precision looks, with the same blue fur, red shoes, and spines behind his head. The only difference between the two was the deeper voice, red eyes, and a scar running from his left eye to his mouth. The Ruler growled as he looked at Sonic and brought out the dark sword once more.

"What the hell are you?" Sonic asked.

"Is it not obvious, hedgehog? I am you, only wiser, stronger, and all on my own. This is what you will become, because of your decisions with the benefits of power. You will abandon your friends, your principles and heroics, in exchange for power over the weak and knowledge of the gods. I know this because I have lived your life and saw the weakness in having friends and relying on the world to help me."

"So why are you here then? Is it just so you can take over this world and its people?"

"More than that, hedgehog. I am here for control over you and all that you hold dear."

"Control of me? For what? What could I do to you that you haven't done to yourself already?"

"It is because controlling you is what I need to complete my plans. You see, your DNA matches the same as my own, and when both sets of thoughts are combined, strange things can happen. Things such as over-lapping personalities, stronger mind versus weak mind, and thoughts of despair and hopelessness. I'm going to tear you apart, from the inside. I want to see you beg for mercy, for all the headaches and agony to cease. Finally, when you are at wit's end, I will be there to end your pain and split your skull open and watch as you bleed."

"And what will killing innocent people accomplish? Why not finish me right here?"

The Ruler laughed and pointed the Sky Scepter at Sonic.

"Oh, believe me, I will finish you and when I do, there will be no one left to stand in my way. Once you die, my army will return through the power of the scepter, and this and your world will pay dearly. That I promise"

Sonic stretched his arms and prepared to attack The Ruler.

"Is that so? Well, let's just see you try and kill me!"

* * *

Sonic rushed towards The Ruler and used a mix of spin dashes and whirlwinds to stun him, but The Ruler retaliated with a laser blast from the scepter and a swift stroke of his sword. Trotsky and Blaze managed to recover from their agonizing pain and assisted Sonic in dueling The Ruler, which had surprised him at their swift entrance.

"Hmm, you are all stronger than I believed. Pity I have to kill you all"

The Ruler tossed aside both the sword and scepter and started punching and kicking at all of them. Sonic was kicked in the back of the head with a fury of kicks, Blaze being cracked over the head by a strong shoulder punch, and Trotsky being robbed of his sword and being cut from his neck to his stomach, leaving a huge bleeding gash, only to then be butted in the head by the hilt of his own sword.

Blaze was then grabbed by the neck and The Ruler readied a strong attack by his sword, with Sonic to only lie in his own blood and watch in horror as this happened.

"You will die first, my love. May your pain be as agonizing as mine"

Blaze closed her eyes and waited for her death, but she then heard The Ruler scream in pain, forcing him to drop Blaze. Sky had appeared at the door to the Vaults, who was holding a bloodied green sword. The Ruler now had a huge cut going down his back, which had cut open his cloak.

"You! I thought I killed you" said The Ruler.

"Greatly exaggerated, which must be a pity for you, murderer. You think I will stand and watch while my world falls into ruins? Think again. I will defeat you myself and send you back into the hell you came from."

"A hopeless effort, you must realize. Every moment you waste on me only adds more time for me to put my plans into motion. I cannot be defeated, not by you or by anyone. Only look at the state of your friends and what you have done to cause them this pain to know that my words are true"

Sky looked at the other three and sorrow came to mind at the sight, but she then replaced that sorrow with anger and strength. She then dropped the sword she was holding and held out her hands, which made cyclones of wind surround her. Bolts of lightning then entered the mix and Sky then looked at The Ruler, ready to fight.

"I am the guardian of the skies, and when I say you die… YOU DIE!"

Sky charged at The Ruler, using the forces of wind and lightning to harm him. One move she used was a large tornado that had lightning swirling inside of it, which lifted The Ruler into the air and struck by the endless streaks of lightning.

As the two fought ferociously, Sonic managed to stand up and assist Sky in the fight, but The Ruler knew that he was weak. The Ruler smiled and raised the scepter in the air, causing stormy clouds to appear inside the Spire, but each bolt of lightning had struck Sonic. The lightning continued to hit Sonic, but as he couldn't do anything to stop it, The Ruler kicked Sonic into the air, blasted him through the wall and outside into the storm.

"Sonic!" All three yelled. Blaze stood up, ignoring her wounds, and repeatedly attacked The Ruler with her fire. Blaze tried desperately to strike him, but each attack was blocked and The Ruler managed to grab her by the neck and slam her countless times into the wall, and he did not stop until blood started coming out of her now bare back. Blaze now laid unconscious in a pool of blood, which made Trotsky angered at the sight of his home's protector at near death.

Trotsky and Sky attacked with as much strength as they could and pleaded with each other not to give up, but how much longer could they really hold out?

* * *

Sonic yelled as he continued to fall through the clouds, but noticed that he was starting to fall past Sky Paradise itself and he knew that there was no land below it. He weaved himself in the air and tried to hit the side of the land mass and grab a vine hanging down from it. As he came closer to the dirt underbelly, he hit it a few times, which made him slide as he fell on it. Finally out of a lucky grab, he grabbed a short vine and managed to hold onto it with both hands before he slipped off again.

As he regained his footing on the soil, Sonic looked up and saw Sky Paradise above him. He could hear screaming and explosions, with the sight of storm clouds and the parts of ancient buildings falling past him.

"I have to stop him… I-I will stop him, even if it kills me" Sonic closed his eyes and thought of Blaze. "If I die, let only Blaze's eyes be shielded from the loss. I'd hate to see her heartbroken over me"

Sonic nodded in confidence and started to swing the vine back and forth until he could grab another vine above him. He continued this technique until he could see the stone building above him, but he saw no footholds to grab onto. An idea then crossed his mind, but hated how he planned it out in his head. He let go of the vine and jumped up to the building and managed to jump again and grab the ledge before he slipped again.

Another piece of debris flew past Sonic, but one large piece hit his leg as it fell down. Sonic pulled himself up and held his leg in pain and saw the blood running out of it.

"Gah, I can barely move it, but I can't let that stop me. Gotta keep moving."

Sonic jumped down to the streets and could see and hear the battle raging in the Sky Spire and quickly but carefully made his way towards it.

The battle between The Ruler and Sky and Trotsky went on for a while, but The Ruler became distracted when he heard a blast of wind surge towards him. He floated to the top of the Spire and saw Sonic making his way towards the Spire.

"Grr, how many times must I kill the same people today? No matter, his time to die has come."

The Ruler held up the scepter and wave of red dots filled the sky, which made Sonic stop in his tracks. He saw The Ruler and heard him say, "Let's see you dodge this, hedgehog"

The red dots grew brighter and lasers started firing out of them, which Sonic managed to dodge before they could hit him. The Ruler grew angrier at Sonic's determination and brought all of the lasers together, which formed one giant laser that loomed over Sonic. Sonic could not move out of the way in time and was blasted off of his feet, making him fall to the ground with burns all over him.

"Heh, is that all you got? It'll take a lot more than that to bring me down."

The Ruler floated down to the ground and stood at the door to the Spire. He held up a hand and a blanket of darkness surrounded him, making him into a floating ball of darkness. The Ruler and Sonic charged at one another, but The Ruler had a plan in mind. Once he reached Sonic, he did not attack him, but turned into an intangible wave of darkness and enveloped Sonic in it. Sonic fell to the ground yelling and holding his head in agony, while also seeing visions of horrible things pass his mind.

Sonic's eyes turned red and his voice started to turn demonic, but no matter how hard he tried to resist, a force inside of him kept hitting him with more imagery.

The Ruler had taken control of Sonic.

_**A/N**_**:** **The Ruler has revealed that he is Sonic from a very different future, who has come to end Sonic and take control over his mind so that he can kill him. In the midst of a duel between Sonic and The Ruler, Sky emerges and helps Sonic fight The Ruler, using her manipulation over storms to overtake him. Sonic is blown outside and to the bottom of Sky Paradise, but manages to find his way back before The Ruler kills the other three. **

**As the two fight again, The Ruler finally manages to enter Sonic's mind and show him the horrors that will surely follow. With Sonic under The Ruler's control, what will happen next? Find out next time.**

**Question 7: Does Sonic live on Earth or Mobius?**


	8. Darkness Reigns

**Chapter 8: Darkness Reigns**

"So weak, so pathetic. The fact that I can control your mind so easily only proves how much stronger I am compared to you, for no matter what you do or how hard you fight this, I will be in control of your mind very shortly, and we will see how easily you begin to deteriorate."

Sonic yelled as he felt darkness' cold embrace surrounded his thoughts and memories, replacing with sorrowing thoughts and images of the death of people he knew, especially Blaze. But just as The Ruler said, no matter what he tried to do to stop it, his mind would not let his own thoughts break through. Sonic's hold on his mind finally collapsed and The Ruler entered his mind and started to turn it over into his own mind.

"K-kill me. I'd rather die than be controlled by you"

"Oh I will kill you in time, but you are going to help me show how weak you all truly are, starting with your little friends and your precious Blaze. In fact, she will be the first to die"

"I swear, if you lay one finger on her I'll..."

"Do what exactly? You can do NOTHING while I control you, hedgehog, nothing but watch everything you hold dear fall to pieces, fall to ruin and ashes. Once that is all over and naught but faded memories remain, only then will you die at my hand. For now however, you will only watch.

The Ruler laughed and started to tear at Sonic's thoughts and replaced it with his own, which started to make Sonic's body change a bit as a result. His eyes turned red, his voice turned deeper to match The Ruler's and his spines drooped even further down the back of his head. The Ruler had replaced Sonic's form, with his mind all but destroyed.

Sonic's voice had disappeared now, being replaced by The Ruler's. He picked up his sword and the Sky Scepter, while looking at the stormy skies above him.

"Now, this world will know the day of its reckoning, the day that I rule over the skies. But I only need one last thing before I rule over them… Their extinction"

The Ruler walked toward the Sky Spire and filled the scepter with as much dark energy as he could, preparing himself for the final confrontation with Sonic's friends. The little part of Sonic's mind could only repeat one phrase.

"I failed…"

* * *

The Ruler entered the Spire and saw Sky and Trotsky looking over Blaze, who had just woken from her unconsciousness. They noticed The Ruler walk in and waved him over, not knowing that Sonic was not truly there.

Sky approached Sonic and smiled at his return. "Sonic, thank goodness you're alright. What happened to The Ruler? Is he gone?"

The Ruler coughed and tried to match Sonic's voice best he could.

"Yes, I have defeated him, but it was not without pain and suffering. He was indeed stronger and wiser than I but with luck I managed to stop his plans in time"

"Well, I am glad to hear it, but we all knew you could do it. Now if you could hand over the scepter so that I may return it to the Vaults"

The Ruler ignored Sky and walked past her to see the state of Blaze. He smiled at the suffering he caused her, but he still placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her that she will be okay.

"Sonic, t-this wound hurts quite much. Worse than any other encounter I have been in, but I should have been more cautious at The Ruler's abilities."

"Do not fret, my love. Your suffering will end soon I promise"

Sky pulled him away from Blaze and looked at each other, with Trotsky behind her.

"Sonic, I really must take the scepter. I do not want you to be harmed by its abilities."

Sky tried to take the scepter, but The Ruler pulled it away from her, making her fall to the ground.

"Well, perhaps I am not as weak as you all. Your inability to take on The Ruler is proof of that, for I could take him alone and not even the three of you could do anything to harm him. A true disappointment."

Blaze stood up and calmed him down before he could say anymore.

"Sonic, stop this. Why are you acting like this?"

"How am I acting differently exactly? I act as I wish and as I please, and do not need fools like you to tell me otherwise, so I suggest you shut your mouths and leave me be"

Blaze punched him in the face, leaving a huge mark on his face. Sonic felt this from within and his heart sank in grief at what The Ruler just said.

_You bastard._

"How dare you speak to us, to me with such ignorance. I thought you cared about me, loved me. Is that not true?"

The Ruler laughed and only said, "How could I ever love someone as weak and pathetic as you, cat?"

Tears appeared in Blaze's eyes, but they were soon replaced by flames of fury rising from her hands. Her breathing turned heavier as she prepared a flaming aura around herself.

"You… will regret ever opening your mouth!"

The Ruler dropped the scepter and drew his black sword, preparing to fight Blaze.

_Please don't make me do this_.

Blaze attacked first, shooting a barrage of fireballs at The Ruler, which he dodged with Sonic's speed. The Ruler followed up with a charge of his sword, which nearly sliced Blaze's neck, but she moved quick enough to dodge and kick the sword out of his grasp.

As The Ruler and Blaze fought, Sky and Trotsky tried to calm them down, but was of no use. Trotsky then noticed the sword that Sonic was using and turned to Sky.

"Sky, does that sword look familiar to you?" Trotsky asked.

Sky looked at the black sword that Sonic was holding and remembered when The Ruler fought them with it.

"Yes, that's The Ruler's sword, but how does Sonic have it? It should have disappeared when The Ruler did."

"Yes, and he fights a lot like The Ruler as well. Unless…"

They both yelled Blaze's name, but when she turned to them, The Ruler used this distraction to stab Blaze through the stomach. She then fell to the ground holding her bleeding wound.

_NOOOO!_

The inside and outside of Sonic's mind erupted in anger at Blaze being stabbed, but as Sonic cried on the inside, his anger started to give him strength over The Ruler's control. He used the opportunity to rip The Ruler's mind out of his own by using his anger to cast him out.

"G-GET OUT OF ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Sonic's voice started to return as he struggled to bring The Ruler out, but he would not give up so easily. Sonic then started hitting himself against the wall, making The Ruler feel dizzy. He then grabbed at his head and yelled as The Ruler slowly began being pulled out of Sonic's mind. Once he was fully expelled, Sonic quickly made a grab for the Sky Scepter and blasted The Ruler through the wall, and out into the storm, but The Ruler used the power of darkness to pull Sonic along with him.

* * *

The two wrestled in the air, trying to hit each other as much as possible. Sonic punched The Ruler in the face at fast speeds, but The Ruler started to strangle and punch him as much as he could. They were now flying past buildings, which The Ruler slammed Sonic into the side of. The force of sliding down the stone made Sonic's face burn, but once they reached the top of the building, he let go of The Ruler and jumped down onto the building, with The Ruler only ramming him off and into the wall of another building.

The Ruler flew next to Sonic and looked at the anger burning in his eyes.

"How do you resist? How on earth could you resist?" The Ruler asked.

"Because you are too weak to know what I feel for Blaze. Too weak to know friendship and love, and you don't deserve it. Whatever you are, whatever I will become, whatever I did to bring this pain upon myself, I truly am sorry for how I turn out. But I am not you, I will never be you. Why? Because I love my friends, I love my life, and most importantly, I love Blaze. And no matter what you do, no matter how much pain you cause me, you will NEVER take that love away from me."

"Is that what this all was about? Love for your little friends? Well, I am sure they will speak fondly of you at your funeral. If you ever get one that is"

Sonic was continuously slammed into the stone and The Ruler then threw him into the air and slammed him downwards, making him fall through three layers of concrete. He rolled out of the way of the debris and saw some of the cats standing next to him in a panic.

"All of you need to get out of here, now. Go to the Spire" The cats did as he said and ran out of the building quickly. Sonic saw The Ruler again and saw that he had retrieved the Sky Scepter once more. He used the power of the scepter to bring the walls crumbling down toward Sonic, but he managed to get out before it collapsed on him.

"Do you not see, hedgehog? You could have the power of the gods, yet you wear your friends like a shield on your back and think you fight the battles of war. I have seen the power, the future, and only one word can be summed up for it"

The Ruler held the scepter to the sky and a swirling vortex of wind spun out of it.

"Destruction!"

The Ruler unleashed the vortex and made it charge towards Sonic will blistering speed. Sonic was blown off of his feet and into the wind, but he could not see anything with all the wind around him. The debris inside the vortex hit Sonic multiple times, but he would not let himself be beat again. He regained his balance and started to create a counter vortex using his speed, which had overtaken The Ruler's and made it spiral out of control.

Sonic was thrown out of it and sent sliding across the ground but managed to stop himself before he fell over the edge. He then charged at The Ruler with a fist held out and slammed The Ruler into a wall. As The Ruler was removing himself from the wall, he looked to the beam of light coming out of the Sky Spire and heard a loud roar coming from it, which made him smile.

"Yes, yes! The time has finally come for me to conquer this world!" The Ruler blasted Sonic out of his way and looked towards Sonic one last time.

"This is the end of the skies, hedgehog. The end of hope. This is the end of YOU!"

The Ruler disappeared in a gust of wind, but Sonic could not stop him in time. He looked to the skies and heard more loud roars.

"What the hell is going on?" Sonic looked again and saw The Ruler floating above the Spire holding up the Sky Scepter, which shot out beams of lightning into the sky. Sonic then, for a moment, saw a giant clammy hand poke out of the clouds.

Sonic then dropped to his knees and looked to the sky in hopelessness.

"Is this the end?"

_**A/N**_**: Sonic has been taken over by The Ruler, who uses the disguise of Sonic's body to fool his friends into thinking that he is a terrible person, with Blaze taking the greatest insult. The Ruler and Blaze fight, but once she is distracted, she receives a fatal wound from The Ruler. This tragedy allows Sonic to break The Ruler's control and regain his own mind once again, but this is not the end of their confrontation.**

**The Ruler and Sonic fight once more, with The Ruler questioning how Sonic broke free of control and used love as a reason. Before Sonic could defeat The Ruler, he prepares to finish his plans and leaves in the middle of the fight. The Ruler's army is almost prepared to return and no one, not even Sonic can stop them. With hope all but lost, is this indeed the end? Find out next time.**

**Question 8: How should Sonic react to Blaze's death?**


	9. The Perfect Storm

**Chapter 9: The Perfect Storm**

Sonic ran back to the Sky Spire as fast as he could, while looking at the hellish look of the skies above him. Once Sonic entered the Spire, he saw Sky and Trotsky kneeling next to Blaze, who was holding her wound to keep her from bleeding out, but Sonic knew that she did not have long before she would die. Sonic approached the three and they all looked at him in concern.

Sky went up to him and smiled at his return.

"Sonic, you're alive! Are you alright? What happened to The Ruler?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Sky, but The Ruler has gotten away and is starting to put his plans in motion. I just came to see if you all were okay."

"Y-yes, we're fine, but Blaze…"

Sonic went past Sky and attempted to approach Blaze, but Trotsky stopped him by pinning him against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sonic asked.

"You will come no closer to the princess, hedgehog. You have brought enough pain to her wellbeing and to mine as well. You have brought the ruler of our kingdom to the point of death and I will not let you bring any more pain to her."

"Trotsky, calm down. The last thing I want to do is hurt her more, believe me when I say that, for we both have been through enough pain. I only want to talk to her, give her the last thoughts of my love. I swear on my life that I will not hurt her."

Trotsky hesitated for a moment, but he released Sonic and allowed him to approach Blaze.

"Just make it quick, please" Trotsky said quietly.

Blaze saw Sonic and they held hands the moment he kneeled down next to her. She smiled weakly at him, but she then raised her hand to look at the wound in stomach, which was still bleeding. Sonic pushed his hand against hers to put more pressure on it, but he knew it was hopeless.

Tears fell out of his eyes when he could hear Blaze starting to lose her breath.

"S-Sonic…"

"Don't… don't do this to me Blaze. We were both supposed to walk out here alive, and then we would have been happy.

"I… won't be coming with you this time I'm afraid, but you need not worry about being alone, Sonic. Just as you said once before, I will always be with you, no matter what happens. B-but before I… go, I need you to do something very important for me."

"Of course. What is it?" Sonic asked.

Blaze reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag which contained the Sol Emeralds. She placed the bag in Sonic's hands and looked at the faint glow of the emeralds.

"I need you to look after the Sol Emeralds, for you are only one besides me that can be capable of guarding them. Guard them with your life"

Sonic placed the emeralds aside and looked back at Blaze to see tears coming out of her eyes, which made Sonic do the same. She brought her mouth to his ears and whispered a few final words before she lost her breath.

"I…love y-you" Blaze's face and hands went cold and still, finally ending with a small thud of her lifeless head.

"No, no, nooo! Blaze, don't do this to me goddammit. Blaze, BLAZE! I-I can't… I-I WON'T!"

Sonic ran his hands over his head as he yelled into the sky. Tears streamed down his face and he kept holding Blaze's lifeless form in sadness, while repeatedly saying Blaze's name. After a while of this, Sonic only kneeled next to her now, silent and motionless, but he could feel his hands shaking in anger, wondering if any hope was left now. Trotsky and Sky were also saddened by Blaze's death, but Sky had to move Sonic away from Blaze to calm him down. She went up to him and looked at him in concern.

"Sonic, there's nothing more you can do for her. I'm sorry but, she has… passed. Come, I need to get you away from here"

Sky held out a hand for Sonic, but he did not move, only remained silent. She said his name again but no response came again. Sky then went up to Sonic and placed a hand on his shoulder, but the moment she did this, Sonic's fur turned black and a dark aura surrounded him. His eyes turned eerie white and his whole form now turned into a dark shadow.

"Don't touch me!" Sonic roared. Sky looked at the transformed Sonic in fear, wondering what he turned himself into. Trotsky readied himself for an attack, but Sonic looked at his hands and clenched them into fists.

"I'm going to END HIM!" Sonic charged out of the Sky Spire with the speed of his darkness, but Sky chased after him.

* * *

Sonic looked up as he saw the chaos brewing above him, but he would not let this stop him.

"I will stop him, no matter what. He will pay for what he did to Blaze, oh yes he will."

"Sonic, stop!" Sky yelled, but Sonic ignored her and made his way up the Spire. Sky ran up after him to catch up with him, and after a few moments of climbing the tower, she grabbed Sonic by the leg and threw him back down to the ground. Before he could get back up, Sky landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

Sonic yelled in anger as he tried to get out of Sky's grasp, but she would not let him go.

"Let go of me. I have to stop him before he cause even more pain to me, to this world."

"You have seen enough pain, Sonic. Right now you must be calm before you do something that kills _you_. Just breathe for one moment, and let the anger flow away."

Sonic's breathing turned back to a steady pace and his fur became blue once more. His eyes came back to life and he look at Sky in sorrow.

Sky let go of Sonic and he sat up and held his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry for what I did just then. It's just… she's gone, everything I tried to protect is gone. The Sky Scepter, Sky Paradise, Blaze and I lost all of it. I-I can't go on anymore."

"Blaze's death was for a greater cause Sonic. She died for the protection of my land and my people, and she will never be forgotten for this. And just as your love for her kept her strong, she felt the same about you and I doubt she would want you to give up now."

Sonic looked at the ground for a moment, but then raised his head to the sky and stood up.

"So, I ask only this: Will you fight or will you give in to your darkness?"

"Sometimes, fighting with darkness inside is a wise choice. The only choice for me." Sonic walked back into the Spire with Sky questioning what he meant just now.

* * *

"Sonic, what are you talking about? Are you going to use the dark form you just used to help fight?" Sky asked.

"You'll see."

Trotsky saw the two reenter and waved them over to him. He glared at Sonic for a moment, possibly for the death of Blaze, but he nodded his head to Sonic.

"I moved Blaze's body into the Vaults until this fight is over, then we will give her a proper burial."

Sonic patted him on the shoulder. "You did well, Trotsky, but we need to focus. How can we take on The Ruler now that he's gotten to full strength?"

Sky paced the room and thought of a strategy. "I am not sure. With his plans finally being realized there is not much we can do. When his army comes, none of us will be able to stop him. We need a plan."

Sonic walked over to the other side of the room and picked up the bag of Sol Emeralds and saw how brightly they were shining. He closed his eyes and thought of his anger at Blaze's death and allowed thoughts of darkness enter his mind, but he used these thoughts to power the strength inside of him.

_Sometimes, darkness is the only way to fight. Let this feel of anger give me strength against my foes so that I may avenge all those he has caused pain to._

The Sol Emeralds floated next to Sonic and then spun around him in a circle. He walked back over to Sky and Trotsky and saw the emeralds spinning around him.

"I have a plan… I go and kill him."

Sonic held out his hands and the power of the emeralds combined with his thoughts of darkness gave strength to create a form that would be on the brink of light and darkness, one that would be both friend and enemy to both sides of power. A flash of light surrounded him and then a swirling vortex of darkness entered the mix and once it all melted away from Sonic, all that remained was Sonic, but extremely different.

His fur had turned black and gold, which streaked like lightning bolts across him. His eyes had turned white once more and his voice became more demonic, but still had control over his powers and thoughts. Surrounding him was a light aura that had black lightning bolts shooting out of it.

"I will fight him until one of us dies. And I swear, I will not fail."

Sky stood in front him and examined him before he moved.

"Sonic, before you go I just want you to know that no matter what happens: you have been a hero to this land, a champion to my people and a dear friend to me personally. From this day forth, your name will mean the word "hero"."

Sonic nodded to her and prepared to take off.

"Now show him why!" Trotsky said.

Sonic launched himself from the ground and flew off into the clouds to prepare himself for the final confrontation with The Ruler.

"It all ends here" Sonic said.

* * *

Sonic made it to the peak of the Sky Spire and he finally saw The Ruler shooting beams of light into the sky, preparing to unleash his army of Sky Eaters, but Sonic would not allow one more failure to plague the land. Sonic charged at full speeds towards The Ruler and knocked him down until he hit the side of the Spire.

The Ruler looked at Sonic and growled at seeing his return.

"So, come to see me bring my army back? How kind of you."

"The only thing I have come to see is the end of you, and to make sure that you cause no more harm to these people."

The Ruler laughed and pointed the scepter at Sonic.

"Tell me how you reacted when your precious Blaze died. Did you mourn? Weap?"

"Only burning rage is what I felt after that. I believe it went something like this" Sonic blasted The Ruler through the wall with a laser that was shot out his hand.

The Ruler created multiple storm systems with the scepter and sent all them towards Sonic. The storms produced lightning, cyclones, and waves of water tumbling out of them, but Sonic used his speed to dodge the attacks and make his way to The Ruler.

Sonic held up his hands and created a large ball of lightning and darkness, but before he unleashed it he created a cyclone and launched both at the same time. The Ruler was hit by a barrage of debris from the twister and paralyzed by the black lightning bolts. Sonic took his chance to charge another boost attack, which worked effectively at knocking The Ruler down.

Even with this attack, however, The Ruler used the scepter to blast a laser at Sonic which whizzed just past his head.

"You cannot defeat me, hedgehog. No matter what you do, how you fight, I will always be there to cast a shadow on all of you. Give up this futile fight and let it have a simple conclusion."

Sonic's form lit up and he yelled as he empowered the whole aura over him.

"It is simple. I'm going to kill you."

Sonic shot one large laser at The Ruler, which blasted him into the wall of the Spire again.

"This is for Blaze, you son of a bitch!"

He came up close to The Ruler and repeatedly punched him as fast he could, and then took the Sky Scepter and beat him in the face multiple times before blasting him with a laser from the scepter. Sonic pinned him to the wall with the scepter and looked at him in triumph.

"I thought… I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not… I've waited too long, lost too much"

"Well, here we are then, with me at the edge of a sword. Are you going to kill me then? Go ahead and do it, but we all know what will happen when you do."

Sonic held his head down for a moment and remembered all Blaze had done for him. He looked back at The Ruler and nodded his head.

"No, killing you won't bring Blaze back. I'm done."

Sonic released The Ruler and turned away, but The Ruler only laughed and created a sword behind his back.

"Don't you see? You are too weak to kill me, and think that choosing friends over power is wise. You are not fit to live in this world. IN MY WORLD! Now you will join the rest. Now you die!"

The Ruler lunged at Sonic with the sword, but Sonic kicked him the head with his foot and held the scepter against his neck again.

"My friends are my power" Sonic said.

Sonic then spoke ancient words and the scepter started to glow, which made The Ruler surprised at how he could use it in such a manner.

"Send this demon to the depths of hell. Let him rot for the rest of eternity for what pain and suffering he has brought. And may he forever be alone"

The Ruler yelled as he felt his form disappear into the scepter. He tried to grab Sonic by the neck one more time, but he was fully gone before he could land a hand on him.

"For Blaze!" Sonic said.

_**A/N**_**: Sonic's reaction to Blaze's death is not a subtle one. He turns into Dark Sonic and prepares to go on a rampage against The Ruler, but not before Sky stops him and tells him to keep fighting. And fight he does, as Sonic uses the Sol Emeralds to gain a new transformation, Dark Super Sonic, which allows him to control both light and darkness. He uses this power to finally put an end to The Ruler and his schemes.**

**With The Ruler finally gone, what will Sonic do with Blaze gone? Find out next time.**

**Question 9: If Blaze is revived, should there be side effects?**


	10. A New Day (UPDATED)

**Chapter 10: A New Day (UPDATED)**

At first, there was only silence and everything seemed motionless, but the moment Sonic opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a black void in the skies above him. Once he regained the sight of his surroundings he realized that the hole in the sky was getting bigger. Sonic knew that The Ruler had been defeated, to spend the rest of eternity locked inside of the Sky Scepter, but the blemishes he caused on the land still had to be healed.

"Damn, I have to close that portal, but how?" Sonic asked himself.

He looked at the Sky Scepter in his hands and could feel the power still surging through it, but he knew better than to let the power corrupt him like The Ruler was.

"It is meant to be a tool of healing and hope, not a weapon to be abused for the sake of someone's misguided deeds. If I can just reignite the true strength inside of the scepter, maybe I can fix this."

But Sonic knew that the process wouldn't fix everything, not now. Not ever anymore. Sonic still mourned Blaze's death, but he knew he had to move on and live on without her to set things right and to bring peace to the battle-scarred land and people below.

"Blaze died for the protection of not just me, but for them… all of them. Any person would be proud of that sacrifice, and so am I"

The Sky Scepter started glowing at Sonic's thoughts and he prepared to fire it into the storm clouds around him.

"All I want now… is a new day and only remember what happened here today. Remember it always as "The Ruler's Downfall"

"Now, I will make things right once more"

Sonic held the scepter to the skies and a beam of light shot out of it, which made the storm clouds all around start to disperse into nothingness, bringing out the long lost sun and its light.

The people on the streets below saw the sun come out and started cheering and chanting Sonic's name.

As Sonic heard the cheering below, he looked to the sun above him and smiled as the blue skies finally appeared once more. Sonic's super form started to lose energy, as he felt himself falling from the sky a few times and his fur started changing back to blue.

"Better get back down there" Sonic said.

* * *

Sky and Trotsky were still in the Sky Spire when they heard the cheering outside, which made them believe that Sonic had won against The Ruler. The two went outside and saw Sonic floating down from the sky, which made the cheering and celebrating louder. Once he landed, The Sol Emeralds departed Sonic's body and circled him for a moment until they fell to the ground still glowing. Sky and Trotsky approached Sonic and they both shook hands with him, with Trotsky nodding to him in a sign of respect.

"You live up to your title, hedgehog. You are indeed a true hero and you have won a mighty victory today. I bow to your skills and strength at heart." Trotsky bowed to Sonic and he did the same.

Sky approached him next and Sonic handed her the Sky Scepter, which he gladly welcomed returning. Before she spoke to him, Sky summoned two cats from the crowd who were carrying a chest with a blue symbol on the lid of the chest. Sky opened the chest and revealed a green and curvy looking sword.

"This sword marks you as the savior of this land and hero to my people. With this sword, no foe will ever bring you harm ever again. Wield it wisely, Sonic."

Sonic took the sword and bowed to Sky.

Sky raised her hands to quiet the crowd and then turned to Sonic again.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, you have fought a grand battle today and I wish to say a few words about you. No matter what anyone else tells you: You have done what no one else could have done, for you have stopped an ancient evil from destroying our land, returned a precious artifact back to safe hands, and most importantly, saved this land from a sure destruction. No words can began to sum how grateful we all are to you and everyone who fought and… died along the way to help protect the land. But regardless of the sacrifice, I speak for all of us when we say thank you Sonic. I thank you"

Sky and the rest of Sky Paradise bowed to him, which made him look away in embarrassment. He appreciated it nonetheless and smiled and waved to them.

Sonic then raised his hands and spoke to them.

"Thank you for that grand speech, but I couldn't have done this alone. Hell, there was no way I could have done this on my own. I made a lot of mistakes on the way, which… cost me more dearly than you think, but I know it's not the end, not even close. Why? Because I know they will always be there, both in life and in death. So don't thank me, not me. Thank all of us, and most of all, thank yourselves for staying strong"

Sonic walked away and went to pick the Sol Emeralds up from the ground, but the moment he touched one of them, he felt a strange heat coming from it. The other emeralds started floating in mid-air and continued to glow brightly, which surprised Sonic at all that could have been done to deplete the emeralds of energy. Suddenly, they started moving away towards the Sky Spire in a fast pace.

"Guys, follow me. Something's going on with the Sol Emeralds"

Sky and Trotsky did as Sonic said and followed him and the emeralds to the Sky Spire.

* * *

Once the three of them reached the Sky Spire, they noticed that the Sol Emeralds were levitating Blaze's lifeless body in the air, making Sonic mad at seeing even the Sol Emeralds disgracing Blaze's body.

"Hey, put her down!" Sonic said to the emeralds.

The emeralds remained still, but Sonic started to hear a strange sound coming from the emeralds. Sonic came closer to the emeralds and noticed that he could hear the sound of a heartbeat, which became faster the more they spun around Blaze. The emeralds released Blaze and Sonic placed an ear over her chest to see if she was still breathing somehow and then he heard the faintest sound of a breath escaping her lungs.

Sonic jumped back and bolted up when he heard this. A smile of joy then ran across his face at this miracle.

"S-she's still alive! The Sol Emeralds are keeping her alive!"

"What? How is that possible?" Trotsky asked.

"I-I don't know. Maybe it's like some life-support function keeping her from dying completely. But I don't think that the emeralds can keep her alive on their own."

Sky raised a hand to calm Sonic down, confused on what Sonic was talking about. "Sonic, slow down. We're not entirely sure what's going on here. Are you saying that Blaze can still be saved?"

"Possibly. I'm not entirely sure, but I think something can still be done to save her somehow"

"Okay, I suppose it is a risk worth taking, but how do we save her?" Sky asked

"We need the full strength of the Sol Emeralds along with all of their knowledge and wisdom. We need to…"

Sonic came to a realization and looked at Trotsky.

"Trotsky, we have to get back to the Sol Kingdom now"

"Do you have a solution?" Trotsky asked.

"I think so. The only way I see of saving Blaze is to return to the Sol Kingdom and bring her to the Sol Emerald Altar. Once we do that, I will perform a ritual to revive her and maybe… just maybe it will work."

Sky lowered her head in sadness knowing that Sonic was preparing to leave.

"If you're leaving, is this goodbye?" she asked.

"For now, but don't worry, Sky. We'll meet again, I promise that"

Sonic stuck out his pinky finger and Sky looked at it in confusion.

"Uhh, people usually say goodbye with a handshake" Sky said.

"This is just my way of keeping a promise"

Sky and Sonic shook pinky fingers and nodded to each other.

"You and your friends are welcome to return anytime, Sonic. I hope that Blaze will soon join you once more as well."

Sonic nodded to her and gave Sky a quick hug before saying goodbye.

Sonic carried Blaze in his arms and Sky and Trotsky followed him to the end of the main road. Trotsky shook hands with Sky before joining Sonic and said a tearful goodbye to him again. Sky and all the other people waited for Sonic to depart and could see some tears in the crowd. Sonic held out of the Sol Emeralds and prepared for teleportation, but he nodded one last time at Sky before a hole of light opened up in the sky. They all disappeared in a flash of light and up into the skies.

"We will meet again, Sonic the Hedgehog. I know we will" Sky smiled one last time at them and walked away as she hoped for the best for Sonic and his life.

* * *

Sonic and Trotsky landed in a clearing not far from where the castle was and quickly ran towards it in a hurry. As they ran past the castle gates, the guards by the gates watched as they saw that Sonic was carrying Blaze's body.

"Is that the princess? Why is Sir Sonic carrying her?" The two guards decided to follow Sonic, wondering what became of their princess. The same idea was happening when many villagers in the town nearby saw the same event going on, fearing for Blaze's safety.

Sonic saw all the people behind him and only made him more determined to save Blaze from death, not just for his sake but for her people as well.

"Come on, we're almost there" said Trotsky.

They finally reached the Sol Emerald Altar and realized that it had now been unlit, probably as a sign that Blaze was gone at this point, but Sonic was not about to give up on her.

"I can do this. I have to."

Sonic brought Blaze's body to the altar and laid her on the middle platform while Trotsky lit the torches around the altar. The people of the Sol Kingdom circled the altar and knew that Blaze was dead, making many people cry at their loss, but even with this sadness they waited and watched as Sonic began his ritual. The Sol Emeralds were released from the bag and began circling Blaze's form, glowing brightly as they lifted her body.

Sonic kneeled down next to Blaze and placed his hand in hers as he began to speak to the emeralds.

"Sol Emeralds, guardians of knowledge, of strength, of light. What lies near is the dead soul of our fallen princess, a friend to all of us and a warrior of great courage and remarkable spirit. This courage was something people could look up to, even me. Blaze was taken from us too soon, taken by the evil power of darkness, but Blaze the Cat lived and fought and… died for the protection of the world, and not just this world, but for all worlds, and this is something anyone would be proud of… I know I am."

The Sol Emeralds spun slightly faster as Sonic's speech went on, which started to give him hope. Sonic looked at Blaze and saw the smile still on her face, making him know that even in death, she was beautiful.

"Blaze's life means more than anything to me and to her people and seeing her as this just makes me know that… I failed. But I am here now to make amends for my mistakes. I ask only one thing, and that is for let Blaze continue living her life as the true protector of this land. Please… just one time to let her seen the light of day again"

Sonic's eyes filled with tears as he lowered his head in sadness, only hoping that the Sol Emeralds were indeed listening.

"Please let her live again"

The emeralds stop floating for a moment before they lifted Blaze's body from the altar, much to everyone's surprise. As the emeralds began spinning around her, beams of light shot out of them and impacted Blaze and once all seven had a beam on Blaze, a bright flash of light filled the altar and sent flares of light shooting out in all directions.

Once the light faded, the emeralds slowly laid Blaze's body back on the altar. All was quiet as everyone waited to see if Blaze would awake, but all was silent for the longest time it seemed.

"Blaze? Can you hear me?" Sonic asked.

Sonic's heart leaped when he could feel Blaze's fingers moving ever so slowly in his hand, making her close her hand around Sonic's. She then stirred in place and opened her eyes to see the skies above her once more, only to slowly turn her attention to Sonic.

"S-Sonic?" Blaze said.

The entire altar erupted in cheering and happiness at seeing that Blaze was alive once more, with Sonic the happiest out of all of them. Blaze kept her eyes on Sonic as she tried to regain her strength. When Blaze finally sat up, she pulled Sonic in for an embrace which he happily returned. They both cried as they felt each other's comfort once more.

"Thank you Sonic"

"I couldn't imagine my life without you, Blaze. I… never thought I'd be able to be together with you again. Never thought I'd get to hold you again, to feel you again and see you smile"

"We will always be together Sonic, no matter what. Because when we are together, not even death will keep us from each other."

The two faced the crowd and waved to them as they passed by them, with many praises going to Sonic and his heroics and even Trotsky joined in the celebrations as he suggested to the other guards that they give Sonic and Blaze a royal banquet.

Trotsky then signaled for all the citizens and guards to bow to Sonic and Blaze, which they did with their utmost respect.

"Princess Blaze, your wisdom will always guide us, even in the darkest of times and we could not have anyone else to be our ruler."

Blaze bowed and waved at the crowd as they cheered her on.

"And Sonic, the only words we can give is that you are a true hero to us all"

Blaze held Sonic's hand again and looked at him with love flowing in her heart.

"Indeed he is. He is my true hero"

Sonic and Blaze kissed and the people cheered as they saw the two lost hearts be reunited forever.

_**To Be Continued?**_

_**A/N**_**: The final chapter of The Wind and the Fire… Thank God.**

**After the defeat of The Ruler, Sonic uses the Sky Scepter to restore Sky Paradise and bring forth the new day for the land. Sky presents Sonic with a sword and tells him how great a hero he is to Sky Paradise and its people. Sonic then notices that the Sol Emeralds are still keeping Blaze alive, but barely. Once he learns of this, Sonic and Trotsky return to the Sol Kingdom and are successful in reviving Blaze, bringing Sonic and Blaze once again and forever.**

**Thank you for your support and all that you have done for me and my story. I really do appreciate it. I hope you'll join me next time on the next story.**

**Final Question: What should I call the sequel story?**


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